Questions & Answers

We are starting a Question & Answer series.

Do you have questions? It is ok to have questions? We should seek answers to our questions.

Instead of taking a text and preaching to you, in this “Questions and Answers” series we will be taking your questions and answering them live.

Anonymous Text Line

We have set up an anonymous text line for you to send in your questions.

214 – 856 – 0550

Please send us your questions and then come join us in-person or online July 10th as we kick off this series.

 

 

Awkward Introductions

Although awkward, introductions are necessary.

 

• The creation story of Genesis
  • God creates Adam & then Eve.
  • God introduces Adam to Adam by naming him.
  • God introduces Adam to Eve… and Adam cries, “Woah Man” (woman).

We never really have an official God introduction where he reaches out a handshake and says, “Hello, I am God, Your Father and creator.”

God reveals who He is, through fulfilling a need.

Adam & Eve needed a creator, and in fulfilling that need, God introduces Himself.

 

Adam and Eve had it made in the shade.

They had everything they needed in the garden.

Everything they needed came from God.

God was everything they needed.

 

 

It all went wrong when they reached out toward someone else… the serpent.

The serpent was not concerned with the needs of Adam & Eve. The serpent was concerned with his own selfish desires.

 

Instead of God – the serpent.

 

How would God handle this situation?
God loved mankind, but mankind had rejected Him.

 

How would you handle rejection?

• Burn it all down?
• Revenge?
• Lower your standards?
• Grovel & beg?

 

God keeps re-introducing Himself to mankind through our needs and weakness.

 

What if you had to reintroduce yourself to someone repeatedly?

Movies: “50 first dates” or “Groundhog Day”
The Bible is the story of God re-introducing Himself to mankind over & over again.

 

Awkward Introductions

In Exodus 3, God awkwardly re-introduces Himself to mankind as Adam and Eve stand nakedly before Him.

God speaks to Moses from a burning bush and tells Moses to set the slaves free in Egypt.

Moses then asks this question…

 

Exodus 3:13 (NIV) Moses said to God, “Suppose I go to the Israelites and say to them, ‘The God of your fathers has sent me to you,’ and they ask me, ‘What is his name?’ Then what shall I tell them?”

 

Moses is talking to God from a burning bush and basically asks… What is your name again? EMBARASSING.

2000 years after creating mankind, we need a reintroduction.

 

14 God said 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 re-introduces Himself as “I AM.” What a strange way to introduce yourself.

 

I AM (Exodus 3:14)

• I exist, have always existed, and will always exist.
• Self-existent. I need no help existing.
• It requires more info…  I AM what?  I AM fill in the blank.

 

God is the I AM… but it requires more info.

 

God also introduces Himself as the HE IS.

 

 

 

As early as Genesis 2, God is introduced by the name “HE IS.”

 

HE IS Yahweh

 

I AM & HE IS? What is the difference? (1ST and 2nd forms of speech – perspective)
 

Say, “HE IS YAHWEH.”

 

Yahweh means HE IS. Used 6,521 in scripture and another 50 times it is us with the shortening “YAH.” (Exodus 15:2 for example) HalleluYAH means highest praise to YAHWEH – HE IS.

 

Say “HE IS YAHWEH.”

 

God invites us to call Him Yahweh… but this still requires more info?  HE IS what?

 

Genesis 2:4 (NIV) This is the account of the heavens and the earth when they were created, when the Lord God made the earth and the heavens.

 

The word Lord is Yahweh. We have translated it LORD because the words “HE IS” would confuse the translation.

 

The Word God = Elohim

 

Yahweh Elohim | HE IS God- Genesis 2:4

 

This is the first compound name of God in scripture. 2 words are put together to reveal God’s identity – HE IS GOD.

 

When Humanity needed a creator God to bring life to the universe, God came up and introduced Himself as YAHWEH ELOHIM – HE IS God.

 

Say, “HE IS YAHWEH.”

 

 

YAHWEH Yireh | HE IS Provider – Genesis 22:14

 

In Genesis 22 Abraham was asked to make a sacrifice. He was going to need to sacrifice his only son.  Abraham needed God to provide another sacrifice and God did just that. Instead of killing the boy, God provided a sacrifice.

 

*14 So Abraham called that place The Lord Will Provide.

 

YAHWEH YIREH – HE IS Provider.

 

Say, “HE IS YAHWEH.”

 

 

 

What is God doing here?  He is re-introducing Himself to Humanity through the needs of humanity.

 

When we needed healing…

 

YAHWEH Rapha | HE IS Healer – Exodus 15:26

 

We needed healing and God walked up and re-introduced Himself…  I AM the Healer you need. YAHWEH Rapha – HE IS Healer.

 

Say, “HE IS YAHWEH.”

 

 

 

When we needed victory…

 

YAHWEH Nissi | HE IS Victory – Exodus 17:15

We needed victory and God walked up and re-introduced Himself…  I AM the victory you need. YAHWEH Rapha – HE IS Healer.

 

Say, “HE IS YAHWEH.”

 

 

When we needed peace…

YAHWEH Shalom | HE IS Peace – Judges 6:24

We needed peace and God walked up and re-introduced Himself… I AM the peace you need. YAHWEH Shalom – HE IS Peace.

 

Say, “HE IS YAHWEH.”

 

 

When we were alone, and we needed someone to be with us…

YAHWEH Shammah | HE IS Present- Ezekiel 48:35

We needed a friend who would stand by us through tough times and God walked up and re-introduced Himself… I AM the friend you need.  YAHWEH Shammah – HE IS Ever Present.

 

Say, “HE IS YAHWEH.”

 

This pattern continues. I counted 18 times in the Old Testament where God re-introduces Himself to mankind by the name “YAHWEH – HE IS.”

 

Not just an Old Testament name. God still wants us to know Him this way.  The “I AM.”  The “HE IS.”

 

Here is what God tells Moses right after re-introducing Himself as the “I AM.”

 

Exodus 3:15 “This is my name forever, the name you shall call me from generation to generation.”

I have asked you to say “HE IS YAHWEH” multiple times because I want us to always remember His name… and His kind, patient, loving re-introduction to us.

 

What does this mean? APPLICATION!

 

God keeps re-introducing Himself to mankind through our needs and weakness.

 

God is trying to teach us that everything we need, HE IS.

 

Say “Everything I need, HE IS.”

 

In your need God will walk up and re-introduce Himself. God uses your needs as an opportunity to reveal Himself to you.

 

In my weakest times, God has walked up to me and revealed that HE IS my strength.

 

Say, “Everything I need, HE IS.”

 

In my times of great sorrow, God has walked up to me and revealed that HE IS my comfort and joy.

 

Say, “Everything I need, HE IS.”

 

HE IS Yahweh.  Everything I need, HE IS.

 

If you are in a place of need and weakness, you are standing in the place where God longs to come up and re-introduce Himself.

 

Your need and weakness create an opportunity to be re-introduced to God.

 

This knowledge should change the way we pray… Instead of praying for God to do a thing, we pray that God would come and be all HE IS.

 

We often only pray to receive things… healing, a job, blessing, peace.  Are you praying for things, or are you praying for the I AM to come?

 

HE IS Yahweh. Everything I need HE IS.

 

 

 

 

We are about to talk to God. I want you to focus your mind away from the stuff you need, and focus instead on who HE IS.

 

Instead of praying “God, I need you to do this,” pray instead “I believe You are everything I need. I invite you to come be who You are.”

 

I want you to be ready to come in a few moments, but first I need to ask you…

“What did God do when mankind needed salvation?”

 

“What did God do when mankind needed salvation?”

 

How did God walk up to us in our need and re-introduce Himself as our salvation? What does that picture look like in your mind?

 

The angel spoke to a virgin and said that she would have a son. The Angel told her what to name this son. Does anyone know the name?

 

In English we often call His name Jesus, but in Hebrew we would say Yah-Shua.

 

YAHWEH Shua | Yah-Shua  | HE IS Salvation

 

Yah is the shortened version of YAHWEH, and Shua means Salvation.

When we needed salvation, the same God walked up to us in the flesh and re-introduced Himself as YAH-SHUA – HE IS Salvation.

 

Our savior who hung on the cross is that same Yahweh come to us.

 

Exodus 15:2 The LORD is my strength and song, and he is become my salvation:

 

The LORD – YAHWEH/Yah is my strength and song, and he has become salvation – Yah-shua.

 

HE IS Yahweh.  Everything I need HE IS.

 

For you who are in need and weak.  Allow Him to reveal himself in your need and weakness.

For you who need salvation.  Ask Jesus, the same Yahweh who created the world to come introduce himself to you.

For you who feel far from God… You have messed up so terribly and feel ashamed. I want to remind you that we have a God who has never stopped re-introducing himself.