As we approach the Feast of Tabernacles we focus on the role that Jesus Christ will have in ushering in the Kingdom of God on this earth.  It’s important that we study Him and get to know Him to draw closer and prepare for the marriage of the Lamb of God and His bride, the church.  To start today I ask what kind of relationship do you currently have with God?  As we approach the Feast of Tabernacles we want to evaluate how close we are to Him and ask ourselves if we know enough about Him to be as close as we want to be?  If we are going to be as close as we need to be we need to be studying God and how He relates to us.  Most of the people of the bible failed in their attempt to get close to God.  We don’t want to follow those examples but we want to work to really draw close to our Heavenly Father and His Son, our Savior and soon coming King.

The Title of the Sermon today is:

A New Relationship with God

We can have a new relationship with God if we learn who and what God is to us and how we can relate to Him.  Jesus said that He and His father are one and if you know Him, then you know the Father.  But each of them has different names and therefore each has unique and complementary roles in the Godhead.  Understanding their relationship helps us to understand our relationship with God. 

God reveals Himself over time and does not explain everything all at once.  When we use the name God we use it to refer to the Godhead which is God the Father and Jesus His Son.  This name corresponds to two words in our bibles.  In the Old Testament the name is Elohim.  Elohim is made from Hebrew Roots El and Eloah.  All three are translated as God in our bibles. 

Each has a purpose in grammar and meaning but all three fulfill the same meaning we use today when we use the name God.  In the New Testament that name is Theos.  The Familiar verse: 

NKJ Matthew 6:33 "But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you.

Here the Greek word for God is Theos.  In Greek, when they wanted to Say God they often said Theos.  These mean what we mean when we speak it, we think of the Supreme being that created the heavens and earth and seeks to redeem us.  But God has many names and over time He reveals new names as he reveals different aspects of who He is and what relationship He will have with His People.

In Exodus God reveals two new names for His people.  Turn to Exodus 3.

To Moses, a new name was given to introduce God to His people. 

Exodus 3:13-14   13 Then Moses said to God, "Indeed, when I come to the children of Israel and say to them, 'The God of your fathers has sent me to you,' and they say to me, 'What is His name?' what shall I say to them?"  14 And God said to Moses, "I AM WHO I AM." And He said, "Thus you shall say to the children of Israel, 'I AM has sent me to you.' "

“I AM WHO I AM.”  HaYaH HaYaH

What is the meaning of the Hebrew word HAYAH?

It is one of the most famous verses in the Bible. Hayah means "exist" or "breath" in Hebrew;  It was God’s way of having Moses tell the children of Israel that God exists and is alive.  This was an important message to a beleaguered people with little hope in the grips of slavery.  The next new name that was given to Israel is found in Chapter 6 of Exodus.

Exodus 6:3   3 "I appeared to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, as God Almighty, but by My name LORD I was not known to them.

Now in English, you can get lost in this. Let’s read from the Tanakh or Jewish bible and see the Hebrew Names inserted.

TNK Exodus 6:3 I appeared to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob as El Shaddai, but I did not make Myself known to them by My name YHWH.

Since Moses wrote the book of Genesis he used the word YHWH even in the second chapter but that did not mean God revealed that name before now.  To Abraham, He was El Shaddai. Why did God use that name? 

Now El Shaddai has a meaning much broader than simply Almighty God.  It focuses on God’s role in taking care of and providing for His People.  This is the Name that Abraham knew and understood that God would keep His promise to make his family a great people and provide for their needs. 

God would keep His covenant with Abraham just as a parent never leaves their child but always looks after their every need and guides them through life.

YHWH which is most commonly pronounced Yahweh has a different meaning for a different purpose than El Shaddai.  This name comes from the root HaYaH which is where we get I AM.  The Tetragrammaton (Which means the Four Letters) has the base meaning of exist (breathe) with the extended meaning of the One who was, who is, and who will be.  

So who is this great Being who revealed His name “I AM” to Moses?

This is an important question because there are different beliefs out there and we want to have a firm foundation.  There was a heresy that came about in the second century that most theologians today reject; never the less, it had an impact on Christianity, even today. 

The source was a man named Marcion back in the year 144.  He rejected the Divinity of the God of the Hebrew Bible and taught the Jesus of their time was not connected to the angry spiteful god that he referred to as the god of the Jews. 

He did not believe in the God of Israel but did believe in Jesus who, in spirit took the form of man. He saw the Hebrew god as vengeful, jealous; and genocidal that could never be compared to loving God of the New Testament.  He also believed in Paul as Christ’s chief Apostle because he agreed with what he saw was grace over law. 

Although he was labeled a heretic by theologians of his day he did have quite a following that would shape the Catholic Church in many ways.  The early theologian Tertullian claimed Marcion was the first to separate the New Testament from the Old Testament.  Marcion gathered scriptures from Jewish tradition to contrast against the teachings of Jesus in his work the Antithesis.  He fueled Christian anti-Semitism and had many followers over the next 400 years and shaped modern Christian thought to look poorly at the Jews and anything that appeared Jewish such as Sabbath and Holy Day observance, and an aversion for the authority of what he called the god of the Jews. 

When Jesus walked the earth the Jews of his day had just as much difficulty in accepting Christ as Marcion would in a hundred years accepting the God of Israel.  Besides not understanding that Jesus was the Messiah, they fundamentally did not understand the Godhead.

In the first Chapter of the Gospel of John, the truth about God was clearly given.  John wrote that in the Beginning was the Word and the Word was with God and the Word was God.  It was this Word that created all things and it was this Word that became flesh.

The early church was learning that this very Jesus was the one that created all things with God and then became flesh.  Then in Chapter 5:37 we see that he gives them another bombshell.

 John 5:37   37 "And the Father Himself, who sent Me, has testified of Me. You have neither heard His voice at any time nor seen His form.

But who spoke to Moses from the burning bush and walked by so Moses could see his form?  Who did Abraham talk to when God said that He would destroy Sodom and Gomorrah?  Who did Abraham bargain with for Lots life?  Jesus left no doubt to the Jews during his earthly ministry when he confronted them in Chapter 8 of John:  Now we can see a progression in the Gospel to teach who and what is Jesus Christ and now, in chapter 8: starting in verse 56 Jesus said:

John 8:56-59   56 "Your father Abraham rejoiced to see My day, and he saw it and was glad."  57 Then the Jews said to Him, "You are not yet fifty years old, and have You seen Abraham?"  58 Jesus said to them, "Most assuredly, I say to you, before Abraham was, I AM."  59 Then they took up stones to throw at Him; but Jesus hid Himself and went out of the temple, going through the midst of them, and so passed by.

SO you have to picture this scene where Jesus turned these people into a mob and they all tried to kill Him but in a miracle, He simply became invisible to them and walked out right in the midst of them, Incredible.

So why would Jesus invoke these words?  Obviously, he was provoking a reaction but He did so by telling them the truth that this Messiah that they were rejecting was One in the same the God they worshipped in Scripture.  But standing before them they would not accept Him.

Jesus used many, many names and descriptions of who and what He was.  We see names like Savior, Messiah, Lamb of God, Son of Man, Rabbi, Teacher, Master, Lord.  But His disciples never called Him Yahweh.  He was the God they knew from the Old Testament but the Names He gave to relate to Him was centered on His role as Savior of Mankind and the son of God who is subordinate to the Father.  God gives us the names He wishes to be called.  When we pray we pray to our Father in Heaven.  Jesus is the head of the church of GOD not the church of Christ.  These names help us understand how to relate to the Godhead. In John Chapter 17:5 we see that Jesus (as the Word of God) was in the beginning with the one we know as the Father.  Together they are the Theos, and the Logos, But as Jesus explained on the night He was arrested, the two of them are one God. In Chapter 17:6 of John, Jesus talks about the Glory Had before the world was created.

John 17:5   5 "And now, O Father, glorify Me together with Yourself, with the glory which I had with You before the world was.  

Each has a role and names that emphasize and teach those roles.

We pray to the Father, and we will be joined with the Son in Marriage and be one with God.  The Son is our Savior and gateway to eternal Life.  Jesus is our intercessor with God and He is the Good Shepherd that leads His Church. 

Remember that for us a name is simply a way to tell us apart.  This is not so for God.  A name is so much more and a label to tell someone apart.  We have to see a name tag to tell someone apart.   

Consider that Yahweh was used for both in the Old Testament.  Most often as the one that spoke directly to His people but notice in Psalm 110:1 we read this:

NKJ Psalm 110:1 A Psalm of David. The LORD said to my Lord, "Sit at My right hand, Till I make Your enemies Your footstool."

LORD = YaHWeH

Lord = Adon Where we get the word Lord that Sarah called Abraham. Adon is the singular version of Adonai.  Adonai and Elohim are both known as a Plural of Majesty (or Plural Royal) and can denote the Godhead. Adonai would denote the oneness of God whereas Adon is singular and is most appropriate for speaking of one part of the Godhead as it unique to the other.  Adon conveys the meaning of the Lord of the Manner which is what Abraham was to Sarah.

So in the comparison of the Theos and Logos in David’s Eyes, Yahweh is preeminent to Adon so it applied to the one we know as the Father.  It is an appropriate name for either for the meaning of the name.  So the Names of God are meant to denote the relationship He has with those He gives the names to.  Abraham knew Only El Shaddai because God wanted the Patriarchs to know He could be trusted to take care of them and fulfill His Promises.

Israel Knew God as YaHWeH because they suffered from constant Idolatry and YaHWeH means that God is the Real McCoy. 

If Israel could not grasp that God was real and Idols were not then there was no door to learn more about God.  Jesus told His disciples that they were friends. 

God Never gave such affectionate names in the Old Testament because those people did not have the Holy Spirit the way we do today.  We can have such a close, personal, loving, family relationship with the Father and His Son that no one previously could have hoped to have.

Deuteronomy 5:23-29   23 " So it was, when you heard the voice from the midst of the darkness, while the mountain was burning with fire, that you came near to me, all the heads of your tribes and your elders.  24 "And you said: 'Surely the LORD our God has shown us His glory and His greatness, and we have heard His voice from the midst of the fire. We have seen this day that God speaks with man, yet he still lives.  25 'Now, therefore, why should we die? For this great fire will consume us; if we hear the voice of the LORD our God any more, then we shall die.  26 'For who is there of all flesh who has heard the voice of the living God speaking from the midst of the fire, as we have, and lived?

So at first is this realization that this magnificent God that Saved them from out of Slavery, That very real God that has such power talked to them and they lived. 

This was amazing to them.

But then what? 

What type of relationship did they want with this all-powerful God?

Let's continue reading in verse 27

27 'You go near and hear all that the LORD our God may say, and tell us all that the LORD our God says to you, and we will hear and do it.'  28 "Then the LORD heard the voice of your words when you spoke to me, and the LORD said to me: 'I have heard the voice of the words of this people which they have spoken to you. They are right in all that they have spoken.  29 'Oh, that they had such a heart in them that they would fear Me and always keep all My commandments, that it might be well with them and with their children forever!

So this is the Relationship that Israel had with YaHWeH.  Moses had an extraordinary closeness with God.  We read in Exodus 33:11   11 So the LORD spoke to Moses face to face, as a man speaks to his friend.

But this was not the norm for people of the Old Testament.  We, on the other hand, have a wonderful opportunity to have an extremely personal relationship with God.  We can have a relationship with a Father, Brother, Spouse, Shepherd, and Friend. 

Jesus brought a new relationship with God

Can you imagine what it was like to be one of the Disciples and have that new relationship with God in the Flesh that they never believed was possible?  This relationship was built over time.  They were not sure who and what Jesus was at first.  He was a prophet, sent from God, He was a teacher (rabbi) and eventually, they understood Him to be the Messiah.  But turn over to Matthew 16 and let’s read about an exchange that took place in the Last year of Christ’s ministry.  In three years of ministry, they learned a lot about Jesus and why He came to earth but notice the conversation in verse 13 of Chapter 16 of Matthew.

Matthew 16:13-17   13 When Jesus came into the region of Caesarea Philippi, He asked His disciples, saying, "Who do men say that I, the Son of Man, am?"  14 So they said, "Some say John the Baptist, some Elijah, and others Jeremiah or one of the prophets."  15 He said to them, "But who do you say that I am?"  16 Simon Peter answered and said, "You are the Christ, the Son of the living God."  17 Jesus answered and said to him, "Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jonah, for flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but My Father who is in heaven.

Jesus often referred to himself as the Son of Man just as God Referred to Elijah as Son of Man.  Notice He never tells His Disciples before now the extent of His relationship with God before now.  It takes time to build a close relationship and God does not rush this process.

We do not want a relationship like Old Testament had with God.  We want to be members of His Family and sit at the family table at the wedding supper.  This is a closeness that the Children of Israel could never even hope to have.  Remember that God was so fierce you would never want to even take a chance to hear Him talk lest you die. 

That is not the relationship we want.  We want to talk to God face to face like Moses, but be even closer like Peter where our relationship with the Father is close enough to learn the Hidden things of God.

A New Name means a new relationship with God

God changed Abram’s name (exalted father) to Abraham to reflect his new relationship with his descendants which means father of nations. 

God changed Jacobs name from meaning "holder of the heel" or "supplanter" when Jacob wrestled with God and would not give up.  God changed his name to Israel meaning “one who prevails with God” 

Notice what it says in Isaiah 62:  about the name of God’s people one day.

Isaiah 62:1-2  NKJ For Zion's sake I will not hold My peace, And for Jerusalem's sake I will not rest, Until her righteousness goes forth as brightness, And her salvation as a lamp that burns.  2 The Gentiles shall see your righteousness, And all kings your glory. You shall be called by a new name, Which the mouth of the LORD will name.

As God’s is signaling here that his people will have a new relationship with him and be given a new name.  In Revelation 2:17, we see the promises God made in the letter to the church of Philadelphia.  Here is a promise God makes with those that are steadfast and loyal. 

Revelation 2:17   17 "He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To him who overcomes I will give some of the hidden manna to eat. And I will give him a white stone, and on the stone, a new name written which no one knows except him who receives it."

What will that name be?  What will God name us after all is said and done?  I can tell you this, it will be based on our relationship with Him. 

Will that be a good one?

Will that reflect a life of overcoming this world and putting God’s kingdom above our own? We are building that name now.

We want that name to be a good one. 

We want that name to reflect how much we have lived our life like those pioneers of faith that are recorded in Hebrews 11.  

This is the promise to those that overcome and seek God now while He may be found.  For those that diligently work to overcome this world.  God reveals Himself through His names and for the names of His people.  As we approach the Fall Holy Days, let’s live up to our calling and seek a new relationship with God. 

Let’s make that name a good one.