Vision of Hope
May 27 SPOR Share your Storyt, Share your Blessing
  • You Are My King (Amazing Love)

  • Do You Know Who God Is?

    Good morning, brothers and sisters. There is no better place to be than in the presence of God, Amen?
    I am going to ask you a question this morning that Elder Ginger asked several of us last week. If you have never had the opportunity to sit with Elder Ginger, make the time. She is an incredible and wise woman of God.
    She asked this simple question you see on the screen: “Do you know who God is?” WHAT A BOLD QUESTION TO ASK! I LOVE IT! I ended up going into deep prayer, self-reflection, and study over the next several days. It is the same question I ask you this morning. “Do you know who God is?”
    Now, I want you to notice something, the question is not “Who is God to you?” Who you, me, or anybody else may think God is, or how we think God should act, does not in any way change WHO GOD IS.
    We are going to look at some of the names that we find for God throughout scripture. They tell us exactly who God is. I encourage you to take pictures of the slides or send me an email and I will happily provide them to you.
    There is power in praying His very Word. If you put that together with praying the names of God, those prayers become more intimate. There is just something to speaking the names He gave us for Himself in His very Word. Let’s start with the very first verse in the Bible.
    Genesis 1:1 NLT
    1 In the beginning Elohim created the heavens and the earth.
    Elohim - The Creator
    Elohim, the One who breathed the universe into existence. Elohim, the One who created and loved you before you knew Him. Elohim, the One who made you in His image. The same One who knit you together in the womb, and knew you before the very foundation of the earth was formed.
    You are Elohim’s masterpiece! You were created on purpose and for a purpose!
    Ephesians 2:10 tells us:
    Ephesians 2:10 NLT
    10 For we are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things He planned for us long ago.
    Many of us go through times when we ask “Why was I created?” “Why am I here?” Elohim, your Creator, created you for Him and to glorify Him. You are HIS masterpiece. Created to bring glory to His name. To love Him and be loved by Him. That means through easy times and difficult times. To love others as He loves you.
    When we look at ourselves in the mirror, we may not like what we see sometimes. When we look at others, we may not like what we see sometimes.
    Nothing can change the fact that Elohim, our Creator and our God, is the One who creates order from chaos, creates beauty from the ashes, and creates restoration from the brokenness.
    We need to look beyond the problems, the trials, and come back to the foundational knowledge that we have the very handprint of God upon us. The psalmist David said this:
    Psalm 139:14–16 NLT
    14 Thank you for making me so wonderfully complex! Your workmanship is marvelous—how well I know it. 15 You watched me as I was being formed in utter seclusion, as I was woven together in the dark of the womb. 16 You saw me before I was born. Every day of my life was recorded in your book. Every moment was laid out before a single day had passed.
    Elohim created you, He knows you intimately. Your every breath, every tear, every smile, is written into Heaven’s History.
    Prayer to Elohim
    Elohim, our Lord and Creator, we thank you for the mighty and wonderful works of your hands. Thank you for creating every beautiful soul here today that we may come together in fellowship and worship You. You created us in your image for a purpose. Create in us clean hearts that we may reflect your glory to others. Amen.
    There is another Name for God we see used by Abraham in Genesis 15:1-2.
    Genesis 15:1–2 NLT
    1 Some time later, the Lord spoke to Abram in a vision and said to him, “Do not be afraid, Abram, for I will protect you, and your reward will be great.” 2 But Abram replied, “O Sovereign Lord [ADONAI], what good are all your blessings when I don’t even have a son?
    ADONAI - Sovereign LORD. Lord and Master.
    I use the name of ADONAI a lot when I am talking to God or in prayer. ADONAI reminds my heart and mind of the majesty and power of the One I am talking to, the One who created me.
    Speaking the name ADONAI does something that stirs the soul, it recenters and focuses the heart and mind. I even find myself whispering the name Adonai when I sense that I am about to go off the rails. I want Him to be the Lord and Master of all things in my life.
    The LORD promised to make Abram a great nation. To bless him beyond anything he could imagine. That did not matter to Abram. His hearts desire was for a son. But, even in his despair, Abram recognized God as His Lord and Master, Adonai.
    We have all cried out from the darkness, from the deepest parts of our souls to Adonai. When we do, are we going to our Lord and Master in full faith, confidence, and trust?
    It changes how we see things. Even in painful circumstances, we know that their is purpose. We may not see the purpose, but Adonai knows, and we trust Him.
    Look at how the Psalmist, David, put it in Psalm 16:2
    Psalm 16:2 NLT
    2 I said to ADONAI, “You are my Master! Every good thing I have comes from you.”
    David experienced some really good times and some really bad times. By using the name Adonai, David was confessing his absolute devotion to the LORD.
    David recognized EVERY blessing comes from Adonai. He was not sitting around waiting for the next blessing, David was counting ALL of the blessings from Adonai! David prayed like that even when things were really bad!
    How often we get tied up in momentary circumstances or feelings and forget all of the blessings of the Lord, Adonai.
    If we actually took the time, we could fill entire volumes with the daily blessings, mercy, and grace God has given and shown to each of us.
    When we use the name Adonai, we are proclaiming to God that we have grateful hearts and that we remember and rejoice that He is our Lord and Master. That He is the great provider and that NOTHING is beyond His reach. He IS the Sovereign Lord!
    Prayer to Adonai
    Oh, Adonai, our Lord and Master. Thank you for the many blessings you provide! Remind our hearts and minds that You are the Sovereign LORD. In those times when we praise Your Great Name, and in those times when we don’t have the strength or the desire to praise. Forever remind our hearts and minds of your glory. Amen.
    Now, the next name we are going to look at is when things get real personal. Elohim is the Name OF God, this next Name is the personal Name of Adonai. The Name God shared with Moses at the burning bush.
    Before we continue, I want you to wrap your mind around something. Our Creator Elohim, our Lord and Master, Adonai, put us on a first name basis with Him.
    You are on a first-name basis with the uncreated creator, with the One who breathed out the stars.
    In Exodus 3:14-15, we read:
    Exodus 3:14–15 NLT
    14 God replied to Moses, “I Am Who I Am. Say this to the people of Israel: I Am has sent me to you.” 15 God also said to Moses, “Say this to the people of Israel: YHVH [Yahweh], the God of your ancestors—the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob—has sent me to you. This is my eternal name, my name to remember for all generations.
    YHVH יהוה - Yud-Heh-Vav-Heh
    Yahoveh [Jehovah]
    Yaweh - Transliteration of YHVH
    I want to take a moment to explain why you see four different names here. If you ever see YHVH when referencing God, it is because it is ancient classical Hebrew. It is called the tetragrammaton.
    It is made up of four letters from the Hebrew Alphabet: Yud - Heh -Vav -Heh. The ancient Israelites would not write or say this Name out of fear and reverence for the LORD.
    In the KJV and in modern translations of the Bible, you will usually find Yahoveh, Jehovah, or most common, Yaweh.
    If you come across any of these names in your studies, they are all referring to the One True God of Israel. We are all most familiar with Yaweh, so that is the Personal Name for God we are going to look at. You might hear me bounce between Yahweh and Yahoveh, depending on what we are talking about.
    Yahweh [Yahoveh] is the Hebrew name for God meaning I Am, The Self-Existent One. I Am. He was. He is. He always has been and always will be. He is the Self-Existent One with no beginning and no end.
    Now, if you are anything like me, Moses will give you a mountain of hope. Here you have this guy who was a convicted murderer, a felon, and on the run for his life.
    The Great I Am, Yaweh, chose to share His personal name for the first time in history with this guy. On top of that, it was Yaweh who called out to Moses first!
    Exodus 3:4 NLT
    4 When the Lord saw Moses coming to take a closer look, God called to him from the middle of the bush, “Moses! Moses!” “Here I am!” Moses replied.
    The same God who called out to Moses is the same God who calls out to each of us. It doesn’t matter where you have been or what you have done. The mistakes or the sins you have made. If you are on a mountaintop or in a valley right now.
    Yaweh calls YOU by name to come to Him. You want to talk about getting closer and more intimate with God? Talk to Him and pray using His Name, Yahweh. That is how intimate Yahweh wants to be with you.
    Prayer to Yaweh
    Great and merciful Yaweh, we lift grateful hearts to you this morning. Thank you for loving us so much that You, the Great I Am, wants to have such a close and intimate relationship with us. Hold each precious soul in this room close to you as we strive to glorify your Great Name in this world. Amen.
    Yahweh's desire to be close and personal with His creation, with you and me, came in the form of a man, as a Savior, as The Messiah. Yeshua HaMashiach.
    Yeshua (Jesus) - YHVH saves.
    HaMashiach (Christ) - The Anointed One/The Messiah
    Yeshua HaMashiach, Jesus Christ, made eight different I Am statements, claiming equality with Yaweh, with God:
    I Am the bread of life. (John 6:35)
    I Am the light of the world. (John 8:12)
    Before Abraham was born, I Am. (John 8:58)
    I Am the gate for the sheep. (John 10:7)
    I Am the good shepherd. (John 10:11)
    I Am the resurrection and the life. (John 11:25)
    I Am the way and the truth and the life. (John 14:6)
    I Am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener. (John 15:1)
    In Yeshua HaMashiach, God’s blessing became a man—not merely spoken, but with us. God blessed his people by offering the gift of Himself.
    When you are not feeling so blessed, remember that Yahweh gave you the blessing of Himself in Jesus Christ.
    Only in and through Yeshua HaMashiach, Jesus Christ, are we called into the very presence of The Father. He is the Way, the Truth, and the Life.
    But it goes even deeper than that.
    You will often hear Pastor Paul say “Papa God” or hear me say “Abba Daddy.” We are saying the same thing. These are not informal or disrespectful terms. Papa God and Abba Daddy are our hearts positioning toward the deepest most intimate relationship we can have with Yaweh. The Apostle Paul said it best, as He usually does. In Galatians 4:6-7
    Galatians 4:6–7 NLT
    6 And because we are his children, God has sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, prompting us to call out, “Abba, Father.” 7 Now you are no longer a slave but God’s own child. And since you are his child, God has made you his heir.
    Abba - The gentle, nurturing family relationship between a father and his child.
    Jesus used the name Abba when he cried out to God in the garden of Gethsemane, calling upon the most intimate and personal name in his darkest hour and deepest suffering, when he asked the Father to remove the cup of suffering he was about to face.
    You may be here with us or watching online, and you did not have a good relationship with your earthly father. Maybe you were abused, hurt, or abandoned. I am so sorry for the hurt, the pain, and the trauma that caused in your life.
    You have a Heavenly Father who desperately wants to have a relationship with you that an earthly father could never provide. He sees you. He is close to you. He loves you. He is calling you by name.
    Maybe you have a great relationship with your earthly father. Praise God! Yaweh wants to have a heavenly Father and child relationship with you. He sees you. He is close to you. He loves you. He is calling you by name.
    As the worship team makes their way up, let’s go into a short season of prayer. Invite Holy Spirit to speak to your heart and mind this morning.
    Closing Prayer
    Elohim, our creator. Adonai, our Lord and Master. Yahweh, the Great I Am. Abba, our heavenly Father. We come to the throne of Grace and Mercy this morning in the name of Your Son, Yeshua HaMashiach.
    We thank you for blessing us with your very presence in Holy Spirit! Abba, we pray right now, in the name of Yeshua HaMashiach, that any darkness among your people be lifted. That eyes are opened, hearts are healed, and minds are brought to the full revelation of your love and who You are.
    We thank you for your unending love, blessings, mercy, and grace, Father. Be with every beautiful soul here and online this day and every day. We love you. It is in the unmatched, all powerful name of Yeshua HaMashiach we pray, Amen.
    Alter Call
    If you would like prayer this morning, PLEASE see one of our mighty prayer warriors before you leave this place. If you are drawn to bring something to the alter that has been keeping you from a closer relationship with Abba, do not let the enemy win this morning. Run to your Father in heaven. His arms are wide open, and He wants to show you the love of a Perfect Father.

      • Galatians 6:9–10NLT

      • Isaiah 43:18–19NLT

      • 2 Corinthians 5:17NLT

      • Colossians 1:13NLT

Vision of Hope
4 members