During a job interview, a woman was asked to give her name. She replied, “My name is Lilly.” When the boss wanted to know why she was named after a flower, she told him, “My parents gave me that name because when I was born a lily fell on me from the sky.” A couple days later, the boss interviewed a man for the same job. He wasn’t much to look at and had a very rough appearance. The boss asked, “What’s your name?” He gave a crooked smile and said, “Piano.”
Names are important to us because they often do more than just identify an individual; they can actually reveal who a person is, and what he or she is like. God goes by many different names in the Bible. One commentator has counted over 63 found in Scripture. That seems like a lot but God is so awesome that the number of names we could use to describe Him is as endless as He is. These names provide us with at least two helpful truths.
They help us identify the one true God. The pagan nations worshipped false gods and so one reason God gave us His name is so we can know how He is different.
His names describe His character. When we study what He goes by, we will actually get to know what He is like.
While names are important in our culture, they were even more so in biblical times. Proverbs 22:1 tells us that a good name is more to be desired than great riches. Names didn’t just distinguish or label a person; they were often thought to reveal the very nature of an individual. For example, Nabal, whose name means “fool,” lived out what his name meant in 1 Samuel 25:25: “He is just like his name-his name is Fool, and folly goes with him.”
The term for name in the Old Testament means “individual mark” and communicated an individual’s essence. In the New Testament, the word for name comes from a verb that means “to know.” To know the name of God means to personally know His personality. During this new series, it’s my prayer that we will not just know who God is, but that we will actually get to know Him much more than we do right now.
As we begin our study, let me state four foundational principles:
These names are given by God, not thought up by people. God is not some abstract thought or nameless power. He is personal and knowable. And one of the ways His personality is known is through the giving of His names.
Each name of God reveals one of His qualities or characteristics. We’ll focus on one of these attributes each week, and like studying a multifaceted diamond, when we’re finished we’ll appreciate His beauty like never before.
These names were given to God’s people in order to help them through a moment of need. It’s my prayer that this series will not just be academic, but deeply personal and heart-changing so that you will call out to Him when you are in crisis or need. These names are like miniature portraits filled with promises, given by God as a gift to us so we can actually know Him.
Use these names when you call out to God in prayer. While we will learn the Hebrew names for God, I encourage you to also memorize the English attributes and then use these titles in your praise and in your prayer times. As we go through each name, ask yourself this question: “Do I know God in this way?”
I have chosen ten names for our study that I think will help each of us grow deeper in our knowledge of God:
God the Creator (Elohim)
God the Lord (Adonai)
God our Peace (Jehovah Shalom)
God our Provider (Jehovah Jireh)
God the Covenant Keeper (Yahweh)
God the Almighty (El Shaddai)
The God Who is There (Jehovah Shammah)
God the Healer (Jehvoah Rapha)
God of Power (Jehovah Sabaoth)
God is my Banner (Jehovah Nissi)
Our study today will focus on the actual phrase, “Name of the Lord.” This is really a summary statement that refers to God’s whole character. As Judges 13:18 states, God’s name is “wonderful.” We’re going to look at what the Bible teaches about the recognition of His name, our response to His name, and then we’ll conclude with some results of knowing His name.
The Recognition of His Name
In his book called, “Awed to Heaven, Rooted to Earth,” Walter Brueggermann prays, “You are not the God we would have chosen.” In commenting on this statement, Michael Card writes: “That troubling prayer resonates in my heart. For the truth is, most often I would have chosen (and indeed do choose) a god other than Him. Most often, I would rather not learn the hard lessons the hard way. I would rather not have to worship in the wilderness, where God continuously calls me to find and be found by Him. I would rather God simply meet my expectations, fix my problems, heal my hurts, and be on His way. I want a God who is faithful to me in ways I understand and expect, who expresses faithfulness in the ways I choose” (Discipleship Journal, Jan/Feb, 2005, 25-29).
One of the most helpful correctives to our selfish desires and egocentric expressions of prayer is to focus on who God actually is, not necessarily who we want Him to be. Let’s begin by listing 6 statements that will help us grow in recognition of His wonderful name.
1. His name is good. Psalm 52:9: “I will praise you forever for what you have done; in your name I will hope, for your name is good.” Friends, never forget this: God is good, even when bad things happen!
2. His name is great. 2 Samuel 7:25-26: “…Do as you promised, so that your name will be great forever…” There is no greater name than the name of God.
3. His name is majestic. Psalm 8:1: “O LORD, our Lord, how majestic is your name in all the earth!” This means that His name, which stands for all that He is, is excellent and famous in the earth. There is no one else like Him. He is omnipotent and incomparable. Exodus 15:11: “Who among the gods is like you, O LORD? Who is like you--majestic in holiness, awesome in glory, working wonders?”
4. His name is glorious. Psalm 115:1: “Not to us, O LORD, not to us but to your name be the glory…” The word “glory” encompasses all of His attributes. The word literally means, “heavy” and refers to the fact that God is weighty, or awesome. Sometimes we try to make a name for ourselves as we crave credit for what we’ve done. We need to remember that His name alone deserves the glory.
5. His name is holy. When Jesus taught His disciples to pray he told them to begin like this in Matthew 6:9: “Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name.” His name must be set apart because He is holy.
6. His name is near. God is high and holy and yet, amazingly, He is also close to us. Theologically speaking, He is both transcendent and He is immanent. Allow this truth to penetrate you. He is not distant, but has instead come close to each one of us so that we can get to know Him. Psalm 75:1: “We give thanks to you, O God, we give thanks, for your Name is near; men tell of your wonderful deeds.” God is powerful and He is also personal.
Our Response to His Name
Once we recognize His name, we can’t help but respond to Him. Here are some ways from Scripture that we are to respond.
1. Praise His Name. The number one reaction to recognizing His name is to break out into praise. The main reason we should focus on what He goes by is so we can give Him what He deserves. Daniel 2:20: “Praise be to the name of God for ever and ever…” Psalm 7:17: “I will give thanks to the LORD because of his righteousness and will sing praise to the name of the LORD Most High.” One of the clearest expressions of people praising the name of God is found in Psalm 113:1-3: “Praise the LORD. Praise, O servants of the LORD, praise the name of the LORD. Let the name of the LORD be praised, both now and forevermore. From the rising of the sun to the place where it sets, the name of the LORD is to be praised.”
Job models for us that we are to praise Him even when our lives are full of problems and our minds are mixed up with emotions. Listen to Job 1:21: “Naked I came from my mother’s womb, and naked I will depart. The LORD gave and the LORD has taken away; may the name of the LORD be praised.” Let’s see if we can apply this verse to the Tsunami disaster. Because Job knew the name of the Lord, he could praise Him even though a natural disaster had destroyed his ten children. Unbelievably, he was able to make an incredible statement of faith in Job 2:10: “Shall we accept good from God, and not trouble?” Friend, the only way to praise God is to know His name. If you don’t know Him personally, you may end up cursing Him when troubles come. If you’d like to study more about how God’s sovereignty allowed this tsunami, we have printed copies available of John Piper’s article called, “Tsunami, Sovereignty, and Mercy” (I’ve included a link to this article in my 1/3/05 blog: Making Sense of the Tsunami).
2. Honor His Name. God’s name is so weighty that we must do all we can to honor it. Leviticus 19:12: “Do not swear falsely by my name and so profane the name of your God. I am the LORD.” We are to praise His name, not profane it. Someone told me recently about a meeting where an individual was using God’s name in vain with almost every other word. A Christian stood up and said, “God’s a close personal friend of mine and you must also know Him well because you sure use His name a lot!” The guy cleaned up his language in a hurry. We should tremble whenever we hear His name used in a way that does not honor Him, and we should make sure we are not throwing His name around lightly ourselves. This is serious business because one of the 10 Commandments says: “You shall not misuse the name of the LORD your God, for the LORD will not hold anyone guiltless who misuses his name” (Exodus 20:7).
3. Call on His Name. God desires for us to use His name as we call out to Him. Don’t hesitate to hearken to Him. As you read through the Book of Genesis, it doesn’t take long for people to call out to the Lord. We see this in Genesis 4:26: “At that time men began to call on the name of the LORD.” Has it been awhile since you’ve called out to Him in prayer?
4. Proclaim His Name. When we praise, honor and call on His name, we can’t help but share His name with others. Don’t keep it to yourself. I talked to someone this week who told me that sometimes she is so filled with the joy of the Lord that she just has to tell others about Him. I encouraged her to let loose! Deuteronomy 32:3: “I will proclaim the name of the LORD. Oh, praise the greatness of our God!”
5. Trust His Name. One of the best responses you can make to God is to decide to trust Him completely with your life. Is there something you’re holding back? Are you afraid to fully surrender because you don’t want to let go of some things? Perhaps you feel like the prophet did when he wrote in Isaiah 50:10: “Let him who walks in the dark, who has no light, trust in the name of the LORD and rely on his God.” Sometimes God knocks out props in our life in order to get us to totally trust Him. Stop walking around in the dark and transfer your trust to Him right now. Psalm 9:10 says that if we know God in a real and personal way, we will trust Him: “Those who know your name will trust in you, for you, LORD, have never forsaken those who seek you.”
6. Love His Name. There are many things in life that we can love, but we are to love His name above all. Isaiah 56:6: “…to love the name of the LORD, and to worship him.” Can you honestly say that you love His name this morning? Do you love His name more than anything else? If not, what needs to change?
Results of Knowing His Name
We must first recognize His name and then respond accordingly. When we do, we can expect at least 10 results. I’ll go over these quickly.
1. Our hope will grow. Psalm 52:9: “I will praise you forever for what you have done; in your name I will hope, for your name is good.” If you struggle with discouragement, determine to put your hope in His name. You won’t be disappointed.
2. Our joy will increase. Psalm 5:11: “But let all who take refuge in you be glad; let them ever sing for joy. Spread your protection over them, that those who love your name may rejoice in you.” Once we know His name, we can’t help but be filled with joy. Conversely, if you aren’t very joyful it could be because you don’t really know Him.
3. Our worship will deepen. Nehemiah 1:11: “O Lord, let your ear be attentive to the prayer of this your servant and to the prayer of your servants who delight in revering your name. Give your servant success today…” When we grow in God, we will find incredible delight in worshipping Him, by the way we live, and by the way we commit ourselves to corporate worship every Sunday.
4. We will be fully satisfied. John Piper has stated it well: “God is most glorified in us when we are most satisfied in Him.” Do you feel unsatisfied today? It may be because you don’t know God as well as you need to. If you’re trying to stuff yourself with things that can’t satisfy, you will be constantly needy. Get to know His name and your needs will be met. Ask God to make Isaiah 26:8 true in your life: “Your name and renown are the desire of our hearts.”
5. We will experience power. There’s power in the name of God, and He wants to unleash it in your life. Jeremiah 10:6: “No one is like you, O LORD; you are great, and your name is mighty in power.” He loves to show Himself strong when we are weak and He loves to demonstrate His power by accomplishing that which we think is impossible. David understood this truth when he came before a giant problem named Goliath. Listen to what he declared to the frightening Philistine in 1 Samuel 17:45: “You come against me with sword and spear and javelin, but I come against you in the name of the LORD Almighty, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied.”
6. We will become wiser. All of us can stand to grow in wisdom. One of the byproducts of knowing the Name of God is increased wisdom. Micah 6:9: “…To fear your name is wisdom…”
7. We will receive help. Do you need any help today in a situation you’re facing? Take heart and meditate on Psalm 124:8: “Our help is in the name of the LORD, the Maker of heaven and earth.” Others may be able to provide assistance and counsel, but the help you really need is only found in the Name of the Lord.
8. We will be protected. When you’re in trouble, claim the promise of Psalm 91:14-15: “Because he loves me, says the LORD, I will rescue him; I will protect him, for he acknowledges my name. He will call upon me, and I will answer him; I will be with him in trouble, I will deliver him and honor him.” One of my favorite verses is Proverbs 18:10: “The name of the LORD is a strong tower; the righteous run to it and are safe.” God’s name is like a fort of protection for the believer. Run to Him for safety.
9. We will be granted forgiveness. Forgiveness comes through His name and His name alone. Psalm 25:11: “For the sake of your name, O LORD, forgive my iniquity, though it is great.” Psalm 79:9 gives another aspect of this: “Help us, O God our Savior, for the glory of your name; deliver us and forgive our sins for your name’s sake.” We can appeal to God for forgiveness because at His very nature, He is a forgiving Father.
10. We will be saved. Ultimately to call on the name of the Lord brings salvation. Psalm 116:4: “Then I called on the name of the LORD: ‘O LORD, save me!’” This is picked up by Peter in Acts 2:21 and Paul in Romans 10:13 when they quote from the prophet Joel: “And everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.” Have you ever called on Him for salvation? In John 17:3, Jesus expands our understanding in this regard when He prayed: “Now this is eternal life: that they may know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent.” In order to be saved, you must know God and you must know Jesus Christ. Do you?
If you’re ready to begin a relationship with the God who knows your name, call out to Him right now. Tell Him that you’re a sinner and that you can’t save yourself. Repent from the way you’ve been living. And then ask Him to personally apply the work of Jesus on the Cross to your account, where His blood was shed for forgiveness of sins. Receive the free gift of eternal life and surrender to His name everyday. And then, confess with your lips that you now know Him. Proclaim His wonderful name to others and determine to know all you can about Him. To help you begin a relationship with the God who knows you and wants to make Himself known to you, you could pray something like this: “In the Name of Jesus, I come before you right now. I confess that I have been living for my own name. I am a sinner and I can’t save myself. I now turn away from the way I’ve been living and turn toward you in faith. I call out to your name for salvation. Save me from my sins. I believe that you died in my place and that your blood covers my sins. I gratefully receive the free gift of eternal life. And now I surrender to you. Your name is what matters, not my own. Do with me what you will for the rest of my life for I now belong to you. Amen.”
Knowing God or Knowing About God?
If you’re already a believer, let me ask you a question. Are you geared up to really know God, or are you content to just know a few facts about Him? I love what Charles Spurgeon wrote: “No subject of contemplation will tend more to humble the mind, than thoughts of God...But while the subject humbles the mind, it also expands it. The most excellent study for expanding the soul, is the science of Christ, and Him crucified, and the knowledge of the Godhead in the glorious Trinity” (Quoted in the Introduction to “Knowing God” by J.I. Packer).
I came across a list of questions from Don Whitney which will help us as we consider how this year can be different from last year (for a list of all thirty-one questions, see: www.bpnews.net/bpnews.asp?ID=17372).
What’s one thing you can do this year to increase your enjoyment of God?
What’s the most humanly impossible thing you will ask God to do this year?
What’s the single most important thing you could do to improve the quality of your family life this year?
In what spiritual discipline do you most want to make progress this year, and what will you do about it?
What’s the most important way you will, by God’s grace, try to make this year different from last year?
What one thing could you do to improve your prayer life this year?
What single thing that you plan to do this year will matter most in 10 years? In eternity?
What’s one thing you could do this year to enrich the spiritual legacy you will leave to your children and grandchildren?
What single blessing from God do you want to seek most earnestly this year?
In what one area of your life do you most need to change, and what will you do about it this year?
As I look at this list, it strikes me that I can make progress in all ten of these areas if I will go after knowing God like I never have before. Are you with me? Will you commit to be here for the next ten weeks and roll up your sleeves as we study the Scriptures together? If you have to miss a Sunday, will you download the message from our website and study it on your own (www.pontiacbible.org)? Let’s not take this lightly.
I love the book of Job. With all its pain and agony, it’s full of faith and hope. At the end of the book, after God recites a litany of His powerful acts, Job becomes literally speechless. When he’s finally able to formulate some words, isten to what he says in 42:5: “My ears had heard of you but now my eyes have seen you.” Some of you are in the same place this morning. You’ve heard about God, but now you really want to see Him in His fullness.
Prayer of Commitment
As we close, I’d like you to stand and pray this prayer with me that originally appeared in A.W. Tozer’s book called, “The Knowledge of the Holy” (Page 18).
“O majesty unspeakable, my soul desires to behold Thee. I cry to Thee from the dust. Yet when I inquire after Thy name it is secret. Thou art hidden in the light which no man can approach unto. What Thou art cannot be thought or uttered, for Thy glory is beyond comprehension. Still, prophet and psalmist, apostle and saint have encouraged me to believe that I may in some measure know Thee. Therefore, I pray, whatever of Thyself Thou hast been pleased to disclose, help me to search out as treasure more precious than fine gold: for with Thee shall I live when the stars of the twilight are no more and the heavens have vanished away and only Thou remainest. Amen.”
