Jehovah Shammah- The Lord Is There Series

Hello I Love You…

Jehovah Shammah – Ezekiel 40:1-5 – 48:35

Intro: In our series on the God’s names we’ve discovered many truths about Him.

Elohim – The Eternal Creator who by Him all things have their being.

Adonai – The Ruler of all – nothing escapes Him or catches Him by surprise.

El Elyon – The Most High God – above Him there is no other god.

El Shaddai – The God who is able to nourish and satisfy – He is all you need.

Yahweh – The Great I am that I am – The self-existent One and giver of life.

Jehovah Jireh – The God who will provide – who delivers on His promises.

Jehovah Rophe – The God who heals and brings wholeness to your life.

Jehovah Nissi – The God who is my banner and gives me victory over my enemies.

Jehovah Tsidkenu – The God who is my righteousness – meeting my eternal need.

Jehovah Rohi – The God who is my Shepherd who leads and cares for me.

Note: As we’ve considered God’s name we’ve seen His magnificence. We’ve been introduced to the God who created us and desires to have a relationship w/ us. We’ve been forced to think rightly of Him.

Insert: There is nothing more frustrating than someone having a wrong impression of you. You get a bad rap b/c someone caught you at the wrong time on the wrong day and now your saddled w/ label that’s not true of you.

Trans: God gets a bad rap all of the time (the devil makes certain). God gets blamed for things He had nothing to do w/ leaving people w/ a wrong idea of who He is.

Story: When pastoring Riverside Church in NY, Harry Fosdick often counseled w/ students from Columbia University. One evening, a student told him that he could no longer believe in God. Dr. Fosdick asked the student to describe the God he didn’t believe in. When the student finished sketching his idea of God, Dr. Fosdick stated, “Well, we’re in the same boat. I don’t believe in that God either.”

Trans: The purpose of this series has been to introduce us to the truth of who God is. To take away the wrong impressions and to help us see who He is and how much He loves us. In particular, it’s important that we not miss the most vital truth – God wants us depend on Him alone. He wants us to know Him in the fullness of His being and to come into a relationship w/ Him in which we trust Him w/ our lives.

Trans: It goes back to the 1st Commandment. You shall have no other gods before you. God wants us to know Him and for nothing to come b/w us and Him.

Trans: Today we come to the last name we’re going to consider in this series - Jehovah Shammah – The Lord is THERE. (Text – Ez. 40:1-5, 43:1-9, 44:4-8, 48:35)

Note: As I looked up the meaning for this name I found the word for Shammah interesting – it means THERE. Profound isn’t it. The Ball is over there. Not here – there. The Lord is THERE means – He is present. That He is personal and can be experienced.

Insert: Have you experienced God’s presence? Have you known His closeness? I ask these questions b/c God wants us to know Him. He doesn’t want to be the God who is over there (point afar) – He wants to be the God who is in here (touch heart).

Insert: Playing hide-n-go seek w/ my daughters – They will hide and I will always go and find them, but when I hide, they often get distracted and forget to come and find me. Our God doesn’t play hide-n-seek w/ us – He is always there on the lookout for us.

Trans: This is a problem for many people b/c they don’t know how to distinguish His presence. I’m afraid too many people are more concerned w/ being rightly religious than they are being rightly related. We know how to have a weekly religious experience, but we struggle to have daily relationship w/ God. We enjoy the pomp and circumstance of tradition but we’re missing His mercies that are new every AM. We prefer a civilized religion instead of a raw and uncensored relationship w/ God.

Note: God is a stranger to many of us. When He knocks on the door of our lives we’re afraid to answer the door b/c we perceive Him to be a stranger. At best He’s an acquaintance and we choose not to answer the door b/c we are afraid He might ask us to do something for someone or something other than us. Sometimes I think the only way we might open the door is if God were Ed McMahon and the prize patrol.