God replied to Moses, “I AM WHO I AM. This is what you are to say to the Israelites: I AM has sent Me to you. “God also said to Moses, “say this to the Israelites: Yahweh, the God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, has sent me to you. This is My name forever; this is how I am to be remembered in every generation.” (Exod. 3:14–15)
What comes to mind when you think about God? A question I asked last week, and I would like to continue on with that same theme…NOT asking do you believe in God… but what do you think about God?…most of us have a range of different ideas that come to mind when we think about God.
What comes to mind when you think about God says a lot about your knowledge… or lack of knowledge about who God is…your relationship with Him…your obedience to Him…how you deal with other people…it shapes our worship…our identity…and our ethics.
SO…Collectively we are shaped by our view of God in more ways than we know.
When we have wrong ideas about God…that is the starting point from where things are believed about God as if they were true.
When people share with you their unbiblical ideas about who they think God is and because we lack a true Biblical knowledge about who God is ourselves…that results in confusion and uncertainty in our lives about God.
When there is even the simplest corrupting of basic theology it results in perverted notions about God that soon pollute the very concepts about who God is.
There is no description in the Bible which fully explains what God is like…we cannot see Him …we cannot prove He exists…BUT…the Bible does gives us a glimpse of Him and tells us about some of His characteristics.
When we take the Bible’s view of ‘What is God like?” …not someone else’s opinion…it is clear that there is an all-powerful God who created all things including man and who desires to be known by His creation. [Ps. 46:10] Who wants to have a relationship with us and to know Him based on what has been written about Him in His Word [2 Tim. 3:16-17] …problem is people don’t want to have a relationship with Him.
So…what does God tell us about Himself?…mentioned this last week…in Hebrew the name God used to describe Himself is elōhîm (אֱלֹהִ֑ים) it defines who God is.
It’s important to know that elōhîm (אֱלֹהִ֑ים) is not God’s name…it’s a description of Himself…in English the ‘im’ ending denotes that it is a masculine plural noun… meaning God is more than one.
That goes against everything we’ve been taught about God…because even the Bible says ‘God is one’ [James 2:19 / 1 Tim. 2:5 / Deut. 6:4] ]…but the name elōhîm indicates that God is more than one God.
In Genesis 1:1 the verb ((a Qual Perfect 3rd person masculine singular)) telling us what God did…is the key in understanding who God is…it’s revealed in the opening three words of Genesis…bə-rê-šîṯ…bā-rā ’ĕ-lō-hîm—בְּרֵאשִׁ֖ית בָּרָ֣א אֱלֹהִ֑ים–In the beginning God created.
He created heaven and earth…the word created (בָּרָ֣א) is singular…in every instance when God calls Himself elōhîm that name is associated with a singular masculine verb indicating that God is singular in nature…just as the Bible says:
Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God, the LORD is one [Deut. 6:4]
That is the key in understanding and knowing who God is…the ‘im’ ending in the word elōhîm gives you a misunderstanding of who God is…but the verb identifies God as being one.
Yet because the name of God is a plural noun it is emphasizing that God consists in three Persons…the Father…Son…and Holy Spirit [Matt. 28:21].
So from the very first verse of the Bible, we are told a single creator God exists… but He exists in more than one dimension…when you look at the wording in the Hebrew it is clearly describing His triune nature.
Then there’s the personal name that God introduced Himself to both Abraham [Gen. 15:7] and Moses [Ex. 3:15] …in Hebrew and English is spelled with just four letters YHWH consisting of four Hebrew consonants …Yod, Heh, Waw, Heh (יְהוָֹה).
In English those four letters are most often pronounced as Yahweh…that is only a guess because not even the Jews know the correct pronunciation of God’s personal name. https://bffbible.org/old-testament/view/translation-name-yahweh
The reason they do not even attempt to pronounce this word is because this is the personal name of God… many orthodox Jews refuse to pronounce it fearing saying it would violate the third Commandment by taking the Lord’s name in vain.
BUT clearly…God told Moses… This is My name forever; this is how I am to be remembered (Exod. 3:14–15) …and again in [Isaiah 42:8] God says, I am Yahweh, that is my name.
So why don’t we see the name Yahweh in the Bible even though it is written almost 7000 times in the Hebrew Scriptures?…because translators have replaced God’s personal name with His title of LORD…that’s wrong.
As a side note…God’s personal name is not Jehovah…there is no letter ‘J’ in the Hebrew alphabet…in the 1500’s Yahweh was latinized…the ‘Y’ and ‘W’ were changed to ‘J’ and ‘V’ resulting in a mispronunciation…even Christian scholars want to pronounce God’s personal name as Jehovah…that’s wrong.
Those of us who speak English don’t really understand the sense in which names in the Bible carry meaning…people’s names in the Old Testament had a kind of significance that was supposed to represent in one form or another the character of the person…Hence the importance of the name Yahweh.
The name Yahweh is closely related to what God told Moses His name was when Moses asked…’who shall I say sent me’? …God responded with ‘I AM WHO I AM’.
It’s important that we understand the magnitude of that saying…when God told Moses to tell the Israelites that the ‘I AM’ sent Him…that saying ‘I AM’ is the ultimate statement of self-sufficiency and self-existence.
It means that God is not dependent upon anyone…His plans are not determined by anyone…He is unchangeable…He is completely sufficient in Himself to do what He wills…to accomplish what He wants and to do as He pleases.
The name I AM in conjunction with the name Yahweh is stating that God’s existence is not dependent on anything other than His own Self.
This statement so defines God that when Jesus referred to Himself as the I AM… stating that He lived thousands of years before Abraham was even born…Before Abraham I AM [John 8:58] …not I was…but I AM…they killed Him for it.
What difference does it make in knowing God’s name?
I wanted to share with you this morning some of the reasons why it does make a difference in knowing God’s name…because it is an indicator in how we view God…because it ties directly into who our idea of who God is.
To have a clear understanding of God…it’s important that we have an appreciation of what His name means because that is the starting point in having a good conception of …His character…including who He is…what He is like…what kind of God He is…and His attributes through which He reveals Himself to those who love Him.
That’s why God’s name of Yahweh is more than a title…its meaning is important for our understanding of who He is…His name defines Him better than attempting to describe Him with mere words because our words simply cannot do justice to describe a holy God.
God has given to us a number of ways to grasp who He is…for one…as we have just looked at…His very name defines who He is.
Secondly, He’s given us His Word as a means of describing what kind of God He is.
Third, He’s given us His creation as a way for us to wrap our minds around His awesomeness as a creator.
But probably the best way for us to really appreciate God is for us to look at His many attributes…some are ‘communicable’ attributes…meaning He shares things with His creatures…and there are His ‘incommunicable’ attributes meaning things that are unique only to Him.
Probably without a doubt the attribute that we are all most familiar with in listing the many attributes of God is His holiness…because God is Holy.
Now that’s probably not a new idea…everyone agrees with that statement…but …when applied to God it takes on a completely different connotation.
The term “holy” is often understood in its contemporary usage…the holiness of God is the most difficult of all God’s attributes to explain…partly because it is one of the attributes that is not shared by man.
I want to share with you this morning what our attitude should be towards God…
This morning I want to share with you two qualities of God’s holiness because God’s holiness is unique…as a result
God’s Holiness is without Equal
God’s Holiness Demands Reverence
God’s Holiness Demands Caution
God’s Holiness Demands Separation from the world
God’s Holiness Demands that we be holy.
God’s Holiness is without Equal
The very definition of holiness means God is not at all like us…not in any way…He is completely apart and entirely different than you and me.
When we use the word holy to describe God…we face a problem…We often describe God by compiling a list of qualities or characteristics that we call attributes.
We say that God is loving…merciful…just…gracious…and so on…then…when we define God as holy…the tendency is to add the idea of “holy” as one attribute among many.
Two Problems
…FIRST…not all of God’s attributes are equal…holiness is the primary attribute of God…it’s been said that God’s Holiness is the most sparkling jewel of His crown.
…SECONDLY…people in general…especially unbelievers…desire to reduce God’s holiness to a degree where there is less separation between them and God.
All other attributes must be in subjection to holiness…for example…if we put love as the primary attribute of God…we begin to coddle the idea that unbelievers are really just “one of us” whereby giving them the false assurance that because God is a loving God…then God is “tolerant” of sin or He excuses sin because He is love.
BUT…when the word holy is applied to God…it doesn’t signify one single attribute… on the contrary…the word is used as a synonym for His deity.
The word holy calls attention to all that God is…it reminds us that His love—is a holy love…His justice is a holy justice…His mercy—is a holy mercy. R. C. Sproul, The Holiness of God (Wheaton, Illinois: Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., 1985), p. 25. https://bible.org/seriespage/5-holiness-god
Numerous times the Bible says that God is holy, holy, holy…Not that He is merely holy…or even holy, holy…BUT…He is holy, holy, holy…the Bible never says that God is love, love, love…or mercy, mercy, mercy…or kind, kind, kind…but it does say that He is holy, holy, holy. R. C. Sproul, pg21.
SO…why the three-fold repetition “holy, holy, holy” (called the trihagion)? The repetition of a name or an expression was common among the Jews…eight times in the Bible God calls people by their name twice…in Judaism…when something is incredibly important, it is mentioned twice.
BUT…when something is mentioned three times in a row…that’s off the charts. That is the greatest emphasis that can be put on anything or anyone in Scripture…this is telling us that being holy is the single most important thing about God.
This is the only attribute of God that is mentioned in the Scriptures three times!… and why of all the attributes of God… being holy, holy, holy implies God is without equal.
God’s Holiness Demand Reverence
What does that mean???? — God’s holiness demands reverence.
God’s holiness is what separates Him from all other beings…it’s what makes Him separate and distinct from everything else…When God is humanized…holiness is lost… everything gets out of perspective…the primary reason is—When we don’t know God’s place…with respect to creation and the universe…then…I don’t know mine.
God is not the “Man upstairs” … “our good buddy in the sky” “He’s not a grandfather figure” … “not our fishing buddy” …. “our NASCAR gumba” …God is not “a vending machine for all our wants”.
Prosperity preachers would have you believe that God loves everybody and is waiting to meet our every request…as a result, we have a concept of God that is less than respectful.
You cannot have an encounter with God and stay the same. When He truly touches you, you are changed – spirit, soul, and body.
In Scripture we see the reaction of some who had a personal encounter with God.
–Abraham—fell on his face Genesis 17:3
–Ezekiel—fell on his face Ezekiel 1:28
–Daniel—seeing the vision of God: “I was terrified and fell face down” Daniel 10:9
–John—upon seeing Him “fell at His feet like a dead man” Revelation 1:17
–Moses—had three personal encounters with God.
Something all these men experienced when they encountered God…is exactly what happens to us when we encounter God…our lives will be transformed…God is a God who transforms lives…our lives will definitely experience change.
When you have an encounter with God—something happens on the inside…when God touches you, it’s not going to be business as usual…people who have known you for years will look at you and say, “There’s something different about you.”
We live in a day of flippant Christianity that has brought God down to a level where we’ve lost the proper sense of awe and fear in His holy presence…that is one of the fundamental reasons why Christians today have a hard time trusting God. They know so little about Him.
You cannot have an encounter with God and stay the same…when He truly touches you, you are changed – spirit, soul, and body.
This morning we’ve looked at why it’s important what we think about God and why we should have an opinion of God that is more than one of just casual knowledge …because what we think about God has a direct impact on how He thinks about us.
Have you ever asked the question… ‘What does God think of me?’ …Have you ever asked yourself that question? …well maybe not out loud, but in your heart?
Ever wonder what God thinks about you? …or if God even really knows you well enough to think about you? If so, what are His thoughts about you?
If Jesus was sitting here right now…how do you think He would think of you? … with…excitement…pleasure…pride…joy…satisfaction…OR…with shame… sadness…frustration…anger…embarrassment…regret…or disappointment?
How can I know for sure what God thinks of me? …there are only two ways God thinks about people…only two…either you are a child of His…or…you are not.
It all starts with how you think about God…and what you believe about God…if what you think about God is not who God has revealed Himself as in the Bible…the Yahweh who desires to have a personal experience with you, then you need to reassess your relationship with Him.