The Name of God

[0:00] Thank you.

[0:30] Thank you.

[1:00] Thank you. Thank you.

[2:00] You and your funny jokes. Funny jokes, right? Now, three verses, because I really want us to slow down and really get what's in this passage here in Revelation.

[2:10] Or Revelation. It's a revelation in Exodus chapter 3. So stand with me if you're able to do so in Exodus 3 and verse 13. It says that Moses said to God, If I come to the people of Israel and say to them, The God of your fathers has sent me to you, and they ask me, What is his name?

[2:37] What will I say? And God said to Moses, I am who I am. And he said, Say this to the people of Israel, I am has sent me to you.

[2:56] And God said to Moses, Say this to the people of Israel, The Lord, the God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, the God of Jacob, has sent me to you.

[3:08] This is my name forever. And thus, I am to be remembered throughout all generations. Any reason why we're slowing down to look just at these verses?

[3:23] Wow. Pray with me. Pray for me. And let's ask God to talk to us tonight. God, just reading these words, we recognize that they are alive.

[3:34] And they reveal life-changing, life-transforming truth. I'm very well aware, as I am every week, of my inability to do anything, of eternal significance in this moment.

[3:51] But God, I know you can. And I believe you will. So come and talk to us, as we look to your word, speak to your people, teach us tonight, I pray, in Jesus' name.

[4:03] And God's people said, Amen. You can be seated. They called him Benjamin Kyle. Now, you don't know who that is. And quite frankly, neither does he.

[4:16] Some of you may actually remember this story. His story was featured on Dr. Phil and CNN and several other news outlets several years ago.

[4:27] In fact, it happened back in 2004. That's when Kyle was actually found beside a dumpster behind a Burger King in Georgia.

[4:38] He had been stripped of his clothes. He was covered in ant bites, was severely sunburned, and had been beaten literally to the point of death.

[4:51] When the police arrived, they found nothing on him to identify him. There was no wallet. There was no ID. There was no license. Nothing at all to identify him.

[5:03] And when he finally became alert, when he finally woke up, he had no memory at all. In fact, he would be diagnosed with a retrograde amnesia because of the wounds that he suffered to his head.

[5:20] He was literally a man with no name. In fact, they only gave him the name Benjamin Kyle because the initials BK were the same initials as Burger King, which is where he was found.

[5:36] There was a nonprofit organization called iDignity that got involved. They began to help Kyle for the next two years collect the necessary documents to prove that he actually did exist.

[5:50] And for, listen, 11 years, this went on until finally a team of genetic doctors helped him discover his true identity.

[6:04] They used a method very similar to people that had been adopted and how they find their original biological families. And they were finally able to locate an older brother in Indiana.

[6:16] Michael Dippey, the executive director of iDignity, said this, quote, having a name is essential in American society.

[6:28] Without it, you cannot apply for a job, you cannot collect government benefits, you cannot sign a lease, enroll in school, get a library card, write a check, cast a check, and in some places, you cannot even be allowed in a homeless shelter.

[6:43] After 11 years of having no idea who he was, he finally discovered his real name, William Powell.

[6:58] And when asked about this whole situation, about 11 years of going without a name, here's what Powell said, quote, there is something about having a name that proves you actually exist.

[7:15] Can you imagine that? Can you imagine going 11 years without a name? Because listen, there's one thing every single one of us here knows tonight. Every single one of us knows the importance of having a name.

[7:26] Names are more than just labels. They're a part of our identity. They're deeply personal, cultural, historical. They often reveal deep family connections.

[7:38] They give us a sense of who we are, the communities that we belong to, and our place in the world. Dale Carnegie, in that very famous book, How to Win Friends and Influence People, writes this, quote, a person's name is to them the sweetest and most important sound in any language.

[7:58] The average person is more interested in their own name than any other name in the world. People will give large sums of money just to have their name on something.

[8:10] We can make people feel extremely valuable by remembering their name. We all know how important names are.

[8:22] We all know this. It's why some of you spent forever trying to pick out the name for your child. What are we going to call this thing? It's why many people are obsessed with family members carrying on the family name.

[8:37] It's why it's such an embarrassing moment when you see somebody and you realize you forgot their name. So you do the Christian thing and you do this, Hey, brother.

[8:49] Hey, good to see you, sister. You know what I'm talking about because you don't know their name and it's embarrassing. You're made to wear a name tag to identify yourself somewhere or you do the worst sin of all.

[9:04] You call someone by the wrong name. Ann was getting a little chummy. When people get too chummy with me, I like to call them by the wrong name to let them know I don't really care about them.

[9:16] That's a genius move. Thank you. You're welcome, Lester. See, we all understand the importance of a name.

[9:28] Amen? Amen? Amen? If that's true for us, how much more so with God? In fact, maybe one of the most important questions you could ask is, Who is God?

[9:44] God. What is His name? Because listen, we need to understand something. The word God is not a name.

[9:56] It is a title. It is a position. It's a generic word. It's the Hebrew. Who wants to learn a little Hebrew tonight? Here we go. It's the word Elohim. The word Elohim is the word for God in the Old Testament.

[10:11] But it's, again, not a name. It's just a title or a position. In fact, okay, this will blow some of your minds if you weren't there at Tuesday night's class. There are many Elohim in the Bible.

[10:23] There are many spiritual beings, many gods in the Bible, right? Now, don't freak out. Don't think I'm teaching some type of a heresy. Let's be very, very, very clear at what I'm saying.

[10:34] Notice it on the screen. There is only one creator God. And all God's people said, there is only one creator God.

[10:46] But there are many created gods. There's only one creator God. But there are many created Elohims.

[10:58] And by the way, that's not me saying that. That's what the apostle Paul says. Look at 2 Corinthians 4, verse 3, right here.

[11:08] And even if our gospel is veiled, it's veiled to those who are perishing in their cases, and I want you to say this loud, in their case, the God of this world, referring to Satan, who's a spiritual being, an Elohim created.

[11:26] The God of this world has blinded their minds to unbelievers to keep them from seeing the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God.

[11:37] Now keep that verse up here. You have small g God, that is Elohim, that was created, and you have capital G God, the one true creator God.

[11:47] Does everybody see that? Say yes. There's only one creator God, but there are many created gods. In fact, Paul says there's many of them. Look at Ephesians 6, verse 10.

[11:58] Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might. Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil.

[12:12] So right there, from the verse that we just read, we have the one true creator God, and we have this created God of this world, the devil. Everybody still with me?

[12:22] Say yes. Good. Here we go. For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against rulers, against authorities, against cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places.

[12:42] In other words, Faith Family, there are many gods. We talked about this on Tuesday night. If this gets really exciting to you, then you should be at class on Tuesday night.

[12:52] Shame on you, all right? There's many gods. And this is why there's only one creator God, but there are many created gods. And that is why God says, don't have any other gods before me.

[13:06] You don't worship anything created. You worship the creator. Amen? It is why it's such a sin to worship something created over the creator.

[13:18] You are to have no other gods before me. Amen. So here's the question. You ready for the question? Here it is on the screen.

[13:31] If there are many gods, Elohim, how do we know the difference between the created gods and the creator God? If there's many Elohim, how do we know the difference between the one true creator God and all of these other false, lesser created gods?

[13:52] How do we know the difference? Answer, his name. His name. God distinguishes himself among all the other spiritual beings by giving us his name.

[14:10] And not only does he give us his name, he gives us the story that goes with that name. And this is why it's so awesome, so that you can worship the true and only creator God and not sin by worshiping a false one.

[14:32] Golf clap. I don't know if you, three of you are really excited. Others of you are like, I'm still trying to catch up with the word Elohim, right? Let me give you an example. It's the example I gave on Tuesday night.

[14:44] If I wanted to refer to the one true and father, the one true and only father, right? For me, I could use a generic word. That generic word would be dad.

[14:57] My father is my dad, right? But there are a lot of dads. My dad's not the only dad. So if I wanted to distinguish my dad from the other dads, what would I say?

[15:09] I wouldn't say dad, I'd say Raymond. Because that's my dad's specific name. And if I wanted to get even more specific so that you know I'm referring to my true and only dad, I would tell you his story.

[15:22] Married to Diane from Big Rock, Tennessee. Has two sons and one of them is super cool. I'll let you figure out which one's which.

[15:34] You get the point, right? You with me? That is exactly what's happening in Exodus 3. In Exodus 3, oh, this is beautiful.

[15:47] The creator. Listen to me. The only eternal God who is over all things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible.

[16:00] He reveals, defines, and identifies himself from all the other created gods of Egypt and Cana and Babylon.

[16:12] How? By giving us his name and telling us his story. Verse 13. When Moses said to God, if I come to the people of Israel and say to them, the Elohim of your fathers has sent me to you, and they ask me, what is his name, what am I going to say?

[16:36] I don't even know how to put into words the significance of this moment. In verse 11, when we last left Moses, Moses was asking, who am I?

[16:47] Who am I to do such a mission? Who am I to do such a thing? And now Moses is asking, who are you? When I go do this thing that you're calling me to do, who do I tell them is sending me?

[16:59] God, what is your name? Now, time out for just a moment. We've got to step back and understand something about names in the ancient Near East. Because you and I don't understand names the way they understood names in biblical times.

[17:12] Here's what I mean. Most of us will name something, most of us will name something on a whim or because it's popular. Okay? It's like every third girl I went to school with was named Jennifer.

[17:27] All right? I think there were like a hundred Jennifers in my school. It was just a popular name. It's why if you hear the name Harold or Gertrude, you immediately think someone in the older generation.

[17:38] No offense if your name is Gertrude. Okay? I don't know if there's any Gertrudes here. But anyways, you know that was a popular name at one point. It's not as popular now. It's why if you go to a nursing home, you're not going to see a lot of Tiffany's.

[17:51] Okay? One day, you'll see a lot of Tiffany's at a nursing home. But you don't see that today because that wasn't a popular name until recently. And so that's kind of how we deal with names.

[18:03] It's what's popular, what sounds good. We might even go so far as to name somebody because it represents somebody in our family. But for most people, that's as deep as we go. Oh my goodness, Faith Family.

[18:15] In the ancient Near East, naming something went much deeper than that. To give something a name was to identify what that thing was.

[18:26] It was about their identity. It was about literally like what they were or what they would become. Everybody still with me? I'll give you a couple examples. You'll love this. Esau.

[18:37] Esau. Esau's name means hairy. Wouldn't you love to be given that name? And the reason that's the case is because Genesis 25, 25 says that when Esau was born, Esau was a hairy man.

[18:52] It's your favorite verse in the Bible right there. Put that on a Christian coffee mug. Genesis 25, 25. Esau was a hairy man. If somebody asks you like what you've been studying in the Word lately, just I've been memorizing Scripture.

[19:03] What have you been memorizing? I've been memorizing Genesis 25, 25. What does it say? Esau was a hairy man. And Jacob, Jacob gets his name because he wrestled with his brother in the birth canal.

[19:16] And you're sitting there thinking, what in the world does this mean? Like big deal that Esau's name is a man that's hairy and Jacob is one that wrestles. It's because they become their name.

[19:31] Esau will sell his birthright because he's driven by his appetites like a beast, like an animal. He will give over his birthright for stew.

[19:46] He becomes his name. And Jacob will wrestle not with his brother but with God. They both become their name.

[19:58] Here's the point. Look at it on the screen. We use names to identify. In the ancient Near East, it was your identity. Now, why do I take all that time to teach that to you?

[20:11] It's because what God is revealing in his name is who he is. It is not just an identifier.

[20:22] It is an identity. Verse 13 again. Then Moses said to God, if I come to the people of Israel and say to them, the Elohim, the God of our fathers has sent me to you and they ask me, what's his name?

[20:35] What am I going to say to them? And God said to Moses, I am who I am. And he said, say this to the people of Israel, I am has sent me to you.

[20:48] God here gives his name. He reveals who he is in verse 14. Echwe. More Hebrew. Echwe. And you thought, wait a minute, I thought it was Yahweh.

[21:01] It is Yahweh in the next verse. When God reveals himself, it's Echwe. I am. But then he'll say, you tell them Yahweh sent you.

[21:15] You say, what's the difference? Echwe is, I am. I am what I am. Yahweh is, he is. He is what he is.

[21:26] You see, God is speaking in first person. When Moses goes to the people of Israel, he can't say, I am, because Moses ain't. In fact, Moses is going to say, Yahweh, he is.

[21:40] That is, God is, I am. This is very, very important for us to understand. 400 times, this is used in the Old Testament.

[21:51] And this is so important if you have zoned out, and I do not know how in the world you could zone out in this sermon, you ought to zone back in. That word, Yahweh, or Echwe, is translated in your Bibles.

[22:04] In fact, you're going to see it here in just a moment. It's translated to this word, Lord. Lord. In fact, in the text, it will have capital L-O-R-D every time the specific name of Yahweh is used.

[22:21] Are you with me? Elohim, God, that's the title. I am Yahweh, that's the name. Lord, that's the translation.

[22:32] Say it again. Elohim, God, that's the title. What's his name? Yahweh, how does it get translated? Lord. Now, God not only gives his name, he also reveals his story.

[22:47] Look at verse 15. God also said to Moses, say to the people of Israel, see it right there? Say it. The Lord, that's Yahweh, the God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, Isaac, God of Jacob, has sent me to you.

[23:04] This is my name forever. And thus, I am to be remembered throughout all generations. And so, God not only gives his name, Yahweh, he tells the story of redemption, of covenant promise, from Abraham, Isaac, Isaac, Jacob.

[23:22] Now we know who we're dealing with. So what does all this mean? What does all this mean? The revelation of God's name and the revelation of his identity.

[23:36] Four quick things tonight. I know I'm just now getting to main point one, but they'll be short so far as you know. Number one, I'm so excited about this stuff. Please lean in and listen.

[23:47] First of all, the name of God, Yahweh, is personal. The name of God, Yahweh, is personal. God, Yahweh, is setting himself apart from all other gods, created gods, all other Elohim throughout the nations.

[24:05] Why is he doing that? Please listen, faith family. He's doing it for the same reason we reveal our names, so that he can be known.

[24:20] Do you, for a moment, do you realize how awesome this is? Have you ever met somebody that didn't want to reveal their name? That didn't want to talk about their story? Why is that? It's because they don't want to be known.

[24:32] They don't want to be known to you. In other words, here's the amazing, gracious thing I want you to get a grip on tonight, is that God wants you to know Him.

[24:44] It's why He gave you His name. If He didn't want you to know Him, He wouldn't tell you who He is. But He told you who He is because He's inviting you in to a relationship with Him.

[24:56] This is a personal statement. It is a declaration of the God who wants to be known. And it is by His grace that He does this because He doesn't have to do it.

[25:10] He doesn't owe us a thing. But God is the kind of God who wants to be in relationship with His creation. You see it all throughout the Bible. God wants to be in relationship with His creation.

[25:23] And so He repeatedly condescends in order for us to be in relationship with Him. Oh, family, God is not playing hide and seek with you. He wants you to know Him in a personal way.

[25:39] It's why He gave you His name too. The name of God, Yahweh, is present. It's not just personal. It's present. Remember I told you that names in the ancient Near East, they do more than just identify or distinguish.

[25:55] They do that, but they do more than that. They reveal identity. You are your name. So who is God? Who is God? Who is God?

[26:05] You ready for the answer? He is. Who is God? He is. He simply is.

[26:17] God is eternally present tense. God is eternally present tense. This name reveals some of the very important attributes of God that distinguish Him from all the other created beings, be they spiritual beings or be they human beings.

[26:41] Put your seatbelt on. Here they are. Number one, Yahweh, unlike any other thing, any other being, is self-existent. There is no reality in all of life greater than the fact that God is.

[26:57] God never had a beginning. There was never a time when God was not, and there will never be a time when Yahweh is not. He is, and He always will be.

[27:10] He is the ultimate reality, and we cannot say that about any other thing. Yahweh is self-existent. He exists on His own.

[27:22] He is. Everything else came to be, but God is. Second, Yahweh is self-defined.

[27:33] He's self-defined. You say, well, what is God? He is. He's defined by Himself. You say, and I hope you'll stop saying this, I want God to be like this.

[27:48] I just really wish God was a little more of that, and I really wish God would be like that, or people will say this, and I just want to slap them in Jesus' name. Listen, I've said it too sometimes. It's like this. I just don't think I could worship a God like that, but sweetheart, you don't get to determine who God is because He is.

[28:09] This is not up for a vote. This is not what you like out of God and what you don't like out of God. He is self-defined.

[28:21] No one determines who God is because God just is, and He will always be what He is. Is your brain hurting yet?

[28:32] I hope so. Yahweh is self-existent. Yahweh is self-defined. Thirdly, Yahweh is self-dependent. Because Yahweh is, He doesn't need anything.

[28:46] He's completely independent. He depends on nothing to support Him, nothing to counsel Him. He's not lacking in any way. He does whatever He pleases.

[29:00] Here's the difference between all the other Elohim created gods and all the other created human beings. We are all dependent on Him.

[29:13] He depends on nothing. He just is. Listen to what Paul says in Acts 17 when he's in Athens. The God who made the world and everything in it, being Lord of heaven and earth, does not live in temples made by man, nor is He served by human hands as though He needed anything.

[29:35] And why does He not need anything? Because He Himself gives to all mankind life and breath and everything. And He will go on to say, it is in Him we live and move and have our being.

[29:50] God is independent. He is. Next. He is self-sustaining. He is self-sustaining. Nothing holds God together.

[30:01] God holds everything together. He just is. He's the ultimate. He is the ultimate of everything. Everything stays into being because of God.

[30:13] He spoke it all into existence and He holds it all up by the very power of His Word. And then lastly, He is the source of all meaning.

[30:24] Yahweh is the source of all meaning. Listen to me. The fact that God is means you can't find meaning in life apart from Him because that would be finding meaning in something that isn't reality.

[30:38] He is the standard of everything that is true and beautiful and just. He is what life is all about. All things are for Him and all things are from Him.

[30:50] Yahweh simply is. That would blow your mind. You see, names reveal who you are.

[31:02] So what does God's name mean? It just means I am because I am. It is personal.

[31:17] It's present. And thirdly, it's permanent. The name Yahweh is permanent. See, the fact that God is what He is means, are you ready for this?

[31:28] This will preach. This will preach. This will not just blow your mind. This will comfort your heart. He just, it's not just that He is what He is, but He will always be what He is. Which means this, faith family, His character, His essence, never change.

[31:45] This is what sets Yahweh apart from all spiritual beings or human beings. Listen, we are becoming. He is be.

[31:57] He is be. We are becoming. He is permanent, unchanging. He's the same yesterday, today, and forever. And we are all over the map.

[32:11] We are changing all the time. We are inconsistent like crazy. But God is permanent. You know this. You know this of how we're different in this way. I mean, it's even crazy to even compare, right?

[32:23] You've met someone before and you thought they were really, really nice. You ever met somebody, you thought they were really, really nice, and you thought it would be a great idea for you to become roommates. And then you learned this person is nice most of the time, right?

[32:40] They're not always nice. You begin to see a different side of them. Or maybe, for instance, you see somebody and you start dating and you think, they're really attractive and you really think this person's an attractive person and then you see them without makeup.

[32:55] And you're like, oh, they're attractive. Most of the time, right? I'll probably pay for that. I'll probably be beat up in the back, right?

[33:07] Or you meet a guy and you're like, he's the most amazing man I've ever met. And you get married and then you realize he's amazing most of the time, right? There are parts of him that change, that are different.

[33:20] We know this. We know this about people. We're inconsistent. We're one thing one day and something else the next. But God always is.

[33:32] He always is. He's permanent. Unchanging. And I could give you a hundred mind-blowing, amazing things that is true of God in this way.

[33:46] I'll just give you one right out of the text. Look at verse 11 and 12. Moses said to God, who am I that I should go to Pharaoh and bring the children of Israel out of Egypt?

[34:02] And he said, but I will be with you, Moses. And this shall be the sign for you that I sent you. When you've brought the people out of Egypt, you shall serve God in this mind.

[34:13] I'm just going to give you one example from the text. I could give you a hundred and it's this. One of the things that God reveals here to Moses is his faithfulness. Are you listening, Faith Family?

[34:24] Here's what I want you to think about. God is never, this is not good English, but it's good Bible. God is never not faithful. He's never not faithful.

[34:38] Why? Because he is. And whatever he is, he always is. He will never not be what he is not. He always is.

[34:51] I am. And this is why. This is practical. This will preach. This is why I say it's not just mind-blowing. It's heart comforting. Here it is on the screen. Listen. In a world that won't always be, you need I am.

[35:08] In a world that won't always be, you need I am. In a world where you will not be loved the way you need to be loved, you will not receive grace the way you need to receive grace, there will not be justice and truth the way it needs to be, you need I am in your life.

[35:29] Because he's the only unchanging reality. He just is. You can count on others to be what they are sometimes.

[35:42] You can count on God to be what he is always. The name of God. It is personal. He wants you to be known. He gave his name for a reason to be in relationship.

[35:57] It's present. He is what he is. And it is permanent. He's not going to be anything other than what he is. And that is good news for us. And then finally, his name, Yahweh, is power.

[36:11] It's power. And I'm not going to say much here. Let me just hit this quickly. The fact that God is means there's nothing greater than God. Are you with me? The fact that God is means there's nothing greater than God.

[36:25] Now follow the flow of the text, and we'll come back to this more next week later on in chapter 3. Moses wants to know, on what basis am I to carry out this mission to go to Egypt to get Israel free from Pharaoh?

[36:40] Moses feels this mission is too great for someone like him, right? Who am I? I can't do this, right? I can't talk, right? There's no way I could do something like this. And what is God's answer to what Moses needs for the task, for the job, for the mission?

[37:02] You listening? Training! I'm going to enroll you in 40 days of how to be a better prophet. Listen, listen, listen.

[37:13] All you need when you walk up to Pharaoh is I am. Because I am the ultimate reality.

[37:27] and if I say, my people will be let go, my people will be let go, because there is no reality greater than me.

[37:42] Don't you see the power of this name? When you are the ultimate reality, there's no reality greater than you and that gives us comfort in life knowing that this does not rely on our strength.

[37:56] Our comfort is in the name of God. It's why this is a whole other sermon. I ain't got time for it. I want to preach it.

[38:07] But when David walks up to Goliath, what does he do? I come to you in the name of Yahweh. Training is good, but God is ultimate.

[38:25] And we need to understand what we just sang about the power that is the name of ultimate reality, namely, Yahweh. What should our response be tonight from this?

[38:39] There's probably 15. I'll give you three. One is that tonight I would invite you to know him. Would you stop with all the church stuff?

[38:53] God revealed his name because he wants you to know him. He's not playing hide and seek with you. He wants to be in covenant relationship with you.

[39:05] Would you know him? And there are some of you here tonight, you've been in church all your life, but you don't know God. God. And tonight is the invitation through the gracious name of God to come and get to know him.

[39:20] You were created for him. Second response would be to worship him. The proper response, I believe, to tonight's message is one word, hallelujah.

[39:35] Hallelujah. Let me tell you what that word means. Hallelujah. Praise to ya. Does that sound familiar?

[39:46] Like ya way. Hallelujah simply means praise to the one who is. Praise to the one who is.

[39:58] Praise to the God that is. Praise to I am. That's what worship is. and if you don't stand in awe of this God, your sin has blinded you to glory.

[40:16] Hallelujah ought to be the response of our heart. Hallelujah ought to be the cry of our life. Praise you God for you have revealed who you are and I stand amazed at your name.

[40:33] thirdly is to trust him. To trust him. Again the whole context is how is Israel going to trust?

[40:44] How is Moses going to trust? Here's how you're going to trust. He is. He is. Faith family there are some of you tonight there's an area in your life you are trying to define reality rather than trusting I am.

[41:01] and you need to trust him. He is who he is and will always be.

[41:13] Will you give me just another moment? Because I want to talk to you as we wrap this up about something maybe as important as anything I've said up to this point.

[41:26] We know that names are important right? They identify us, they set us apart from everybody else. Like Benjamin Kyle, we're kind of lost without a name.

[41:38] And if names are important to us, how much more important for God? I mean how are we to worship God, love God, be in relationship with God, if we don't know his name?

[41:48] But listen, in Exodus 3, God reveals his name. Everybody with that? Did you know that that's not the last time Yahweh reveals his name?

[42:09] You remember when you're reading the New Testament and you come across Jesus' ministry and he has the audacity to say things that drive the Jewish leaders outside their minds?

[42:26] They go nuts! Do you know why they go nuts? Because Jesus says things like this. Look at John chapter 8 verse 56. Your father Abraham rejoiced that he would see my day.

[42:38] He saw it and was glad and so the Jews said, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, you're not even 50 years old and you've seen Abraham? And Jesus said to them, truly, truly, I say to you, before Abraham was, I am.

[43:00] And they went crazy! In fact, the next verse says they picked up stones to throw at him. Why? Because he's identifying himself with Exodus 3. Listen to what the apostle Paul says in 1 Corinthians chapter 8 verse 4, one of my favorite verses.

[43:16] He says, therefore, of the eating of food offered to idols, listen, listen, we know that no idol has a real existence. That's just a statue, it's just a thing on a pole. We know that that thing is not a thing, and we know what?

[43:30] That there is one God. Now, although there are many so-called gods inhabited on earth, because indeed, there are many Elohim, there are many created gods, and many lords, but for us, there's just one creator God.

[43:46] Are you with me? Say yes. The Father, from whom all things, and for whom we exist. and one, say it, Lord, Jesus, Christ, through whom are all things, and through whom we exist.

[44:09] wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait. Who's the creator God that rules and reigns over all things? Is it Yahweh, or is it Jesus?

[44:22] Answer? Yes. Yes. For the word was with God, and the word was God.

[44:35] In other words, are you ready? Are you ready for your mind to come unglued? In the New Testament, Yahweh takes on another name. The name is Jesus.

[44:48] And why would Yahweh take on a new name, or take on another name? Remember how I told you in the ancient Near East names describe who you are and what your purpose is?

[45:01] Look at Matthew chapter 1 verse 21, we're almost done. She'll bear a son, and you'll call his name Jesus.

[45:12] Why am I going to call his name Jesus? Because he's going to save his people from their sins. And all this took place to fulfill what the Lord had spoken by the prophet.

[45:23] Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and they shall call his name Emmanuel, which means Exodus chapter 3.

[45:34] I am with you. Yahweh takes on a new name, and that new name is Jesus.

[45:53] And why does Yahweh take on that name? Because his ultimate purpose is not to save Israel from Egypt. His ultimate purpose is to save you from your sin.

[46:04] the ultimate mission is not just to be with Moses when he goes to Pharaoh. It's to be with you for the rest of your eternal life.

[46:18] God has a name. That name is Jesus. And at that name one day every knee will bow and every tongue will confess.

[46:34] And what will they confess? Jesus Christ is Yahweh. Let's pray. God, that our response tonight would be to know you.

[46:52] There is no more reaching down that you could do than to come down yourself. It is one thing to give a name. It is another thing when that name takes on flesh.

[47:05] how much more could you show us how you want to be known?

[47:18] How you want a covenant relationship with us? You're not hiding. It's not hide and seek here.

[47:32] You revealed your name and then you came and became one of us to lead us out of our slavery to sin and into eternal relationship with you.

[47:54] And God, if every person in this room and everybody watching this message online, if we don't stand amazed at your grace, we will never understand your grace.

[48:09] And I pray that we will worship you. Hallelujah. Hallelujah. Hallelujah. That we would simply stand in awe of your greatness and your glory.

[48:24] Distinguished from all other spiritual beings, all other human beings, you stand alone. And we worship you.

[48:37] And we trust you with our lives, with our forever, with our daily situations, for you are I am.

[48:51] Spirit, lead us now as we take a time to remember how your name came in flesh and died on the cross for our exodus.

[49:06] We're going to remember now, through the Lord's Supper, the body and the blood of Jesus Christ. And it's in his name we pray.

[49:19] Amen. Amen.