It amazes me how you can be sitting back there nervous as a cat about getting up here, and Brother Dave or somebody, a song or something can happen that can be exactly in line with what you're thinking and just gives you great confidence that God is meeting with us. So it's a huge blessing. If you have your Bibles, go ahead and be opening up to Genesis 1. Genesis 1. A couple weeks ago, Brother Lewis made mention of meditating on the names of God. He mentioned it in passing. And that is something I had been thinking on, kind of in my own life. And so that is what I'd like to look at this morning, is just considering and meditating on the names of God. And we're going to title our time together, Behold Your God. Behold Your God. It's very important for us to know that God's names were not given for Him. They were given for us. That we might know and understand who He is. And it is revealing His character to us. His attributes. What He is like. So we don't have to wonder and guess. He's not a man upstairs, as many wrongly refer to Him as. He is a personal and relatable God who has revealed Himself in His Word by His names. So, we're going to begin at the very beginning in Genesis 1, and we're going to read verse 1. Genesis 1, verse 1. In the beginning, God created the heaven and the earth. In the beginning, God Now the word here, the name of God that we're going to consider first is Elohim. Elohim. This name occurs 2,600 times in the Old and New Scripture. And it is translated, so if you're reading in the King James, it's most commonly going to be translated as God. An interesting thing about this name Elohim is in the Hebrew, it is actually plural. It is a plural word. So in English, it would literally translate to gods. Now, this by no means means that there is any other God, but it's going to point to two different aspects about God that I want to look at first off. So first off, it points to the Trinity, that God is one God and three persons. One God and three persons. And in Genesis chapter 1 verse 26, if you go on down, and God said, or Elohim said, let us make man in our image. That's important for important for us to know that there was no counsel. There was no no one else there but God. And yet there is an us and create him in our image. If we turn to Deuteronomy, chapter six, Deuteronomy, chapter six, this is addressed as well. Deuteronomy, chapter six. And we're going to read verse 4, Deuteronomy 6, verse 4. And it says, Here, O Israel, the Lord our God is one Lord. Now, the words here are Lord. We'll get to this in a little bit. I'll give you a little sneak preview now. Jehovah is the word here. So Jehovah, our Elohim, is one Jehovah. So He is one God. One God in three persons, three distinct persons, and yet He is one. It is incredible for us to try to think about, but as humans, we can't get our minds wrapped completely around that. And yet it's true that God is three distinct persons in one. We also see this in 1 John 5. If you'll turn with me to 1 John 5. We're going to read verse 7 there. 1 John 5, verse 7. And it says, for there are three that bear record in heaven, the Father, the Word, and the Holy Ghost. And these three are one. And this is speaking to the divinity of Jesus Christ. And there are three that bear record in heaven. There's the Father, God the Father. There's the Word, which is Jesus Christ. and there's the Holy Ghost, and these three are all one bearing record, bearing witness to God and His authority over the world. The second aspect of the plural Elohim that I'd like to look at is it reveals the plurality of God's majesty. He alone is powerful, is worthy of all praise, honor, and glory. I think of Revelations 4, verse 8, where the angels are around the throne saying, holy, holy, holy. The reality is one holy just isn't good enough. Two is not good enough. But three, holy, holy, holy. He is God alone. and He alone is worthy of all of the glory, all of the praise, all of the honor. And so the word being plural, it's a plurality of God's majesty. That one description would just not do it justice. And so looking into Elohim, now that we've looked at the plural there, The first aspect of Elohim, and we see it in Genesis 1, is that God is the creator of heaven and of earth. He is the creator God. And that's the first thing we see, and that's why God inspired Moses to use this word here, that He is the creator, Everything from the beginning was created by God. And we see that throughout Genesis chapter one. God said, let there be light. And there was light. You know, and in thinking about this, you think about. How the world has tried to destroy the fact that God is the creator. They've kicked it out of schools. It came up with all of these theories to try and do away with this fact. And I'm afraid so often, at least for me, and I'm sure it's common with some of you as well, we kind of brush past it that God is the Creator and we go, well, yeah, everybody knows that. And yet, friends, it is incredibly important. And I think the reason that the world tries to do away with the fact that God is the Creator is because if He is the Creator, then He created you. Now, if the whole universe is an accident, if the whole universe is just this cosmic bomb that just so happened to accumulate everything in a perfect, you know, weird thing, then I don't have to answer to anybody. If there is no God, then I'm the God of my own life. I can do as I please. Life is not sacred. There's nothing sacred. It's what I decide. And friends, that is the reason I believe that the world is trying to do away with God as the Creator. Because if He is the Creator, then He created them. And one day, you'll have to answer to Him. That's the reality. And so He created all things. All things were created by Him and for Him. They were created for His pleasure, for His purposes. All things great, all things small. We also just think about the intricacy of God's creation. The intricacy of God's creation. Just how everything is so wonderfully put together. Now, I was considering when thinking about this, trying to think of an example and just, you know, something even kids can understand. We've all run a fever before, haven't we? Just thinking about our bodies here. We've all run a fever. Well, isn't it incredible that the fever is, your body is fighting the infection. It raises the temperature and makes you an oven to fight the infection that has gotten in to kill it off and keep it from reproducing. Or if we think about another aspect, we think about when you get a cut. Well, your blood automatically knows to clot, keep more blood from getting out. And then it becomes a scab and the skin literally heals itself underneath. Friends, that's not something that happens by accident. You don't just mutate into a human oven to fight infection. Your body doesn't just mutate into healing itself. It was an intricate, much less the nervous system. You think, if I think to do this, my fingers automatically do it. Friends, they can't even create robots to do that. The intricacy of, I think it, and immediately it happens down here. Friends, that's all of God, the nervous system that is attached to your brain, that goes to your hand, that tells your fingers to rub together and to make a snap. So God is the creator of all things. The second aspect that can be deduced from this is God is eternal. God is eternal. So if he is the creator, then he is eternal. Turn with me to Revelation 1. We're going to look at verse 8 here. Revelation 1. It says, "...I am the Alpha and the Omega, The beginning and the end, saith the Lord, which is, which was, and which is to come, the Almighty. In this phrase here, the alpha and the omega, that's the beginning and the first letter and the last letter in the Greek alphabet. And so he is saying, I am the first and the last. I am the first and the last. There was none before me, there will be none after me. And John here, He gives us some clarification on that. Which is, which was, and which is to come. And that's what He's saying. I was before the beginning of the world. And He created the world. And He has been in the world. And He will be after the world. It is the same God. He is the only one, the eternal one. All other creatures, we all have a starting point. Even the oldest person here, there was a day when you were born. where it began, but yet God did not have a beginning. He always has been. He is now, and He always will be. And isn't it a blessing to know that God is not just a God of the past, He's a God of the present. He is just the same God that created the world, is God for us right here and now. The same God that created all things that spoke and the world came into existence. And just the ramifications of all of that, the stars, the sun, how everything orbits around the sun, how we're not too far, too far away, too close. All of that, the intricacy of life, and yet he's still at work in the world today. The same God, the same power, is at work in the world to get today. And that is the third aspect. I tipped my hand there. The power of God is the third thing I'd like to see here. The power of God. Turn with me to Romans 1. We're going to read Romans 1. And it says, "...for the invisible things of Him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even His eternal power and Godhead, so that they are without excuse." And friends, this is the reality that God's power is put on display. You think of the storms that we have, just the might of a hurricane. That is a drop. God created that. It's a drop in the bucket compared to the power of God. We think about the tornadoes that, you know, we're now the tornado belt or whatever they call it. You know, you think about the tornadoes that come through and just the power, what they did, you know, what that tornado did to Camp Moriah, where it tore down these mighty trees. And yet that is a drop in the bucket compared to the power of God. because He created all things. And it is manifest in His creation. Think about the sun. We're how many million miles away, and yet this ball of fire heats us and makes us sweat this time of year, but heats us all that way away. And that is a drop in the bucket compared to the Creator who said, let there be light, and there was light. with one word, or with a series of words, but created the Son. Let's see what Isaiah has to say about this. Turn with me to Isaiah chapter 40. Isaiah chapter 40. We're going to read 25-31, verses 25-31 in Isaiah chapter 40. It says, "'To whom will you liken Me, or shall I be equal?' saith the Holy One. Lift up your eyes on high. Behold, who hath created these things, that bringeth their host by number? He calleth them all by names, by the greatness of his might. For that he is strong in power, not one faileth. Why sayest thou, O Jacob, and spakest thou, O Israel, My way is hid from the Lord, and my judgment is passed over from my God? Hast thou not known? Hast thou not heard? that the everlasting God, the Lord, the Creator of the ends of the earth, fainteth not, neither is weary, there is no searching of his understanding. He giveth power to the faint, and to them that have no might he increaseth strength. Even the youth shall faint and be weary, and the young men shall utterly fall. but they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength. They shall mount up with wings as eagles. They shall run and not be weary, and they shall walk and not faint." Amen is right. What a glorious, glorious passage. And so he begins by saying, what will you compare me to? Who is my equal? This is a rhetorical question because no one is God's equal. You can't compare Him to anything. And in Isaiah's point of view, he earlier was talking about, you know, they're comparing these tiny idols that you have made with gold and of wood, and you compare that to me? The God who created the stars, He created the host of stars, and He calls them by name. Not one is a mystery to Him. You know, we can lose track of, unless you have a telescope, and even then you can't count all the stars. And yet God knows them all by name. He commands them, and by His might, not one fails. Not one. You think about how reliable the stars are. You know, navigators back in the day, the stars are so reliable that they would use those to navigate their ships in the open ocean. Because they were dependable. They didn't fail. They were always there. And you could know which direction you were going. And they're not there on their own. It is the power of God that keeps them in place. He commands the hosts. It is by His strength that they fail not. And in 27, he says, why sayest thou, O Jacob, speakest thou of Israel? My way is hid from the Lord. My judgment is passed over from my God. And what they're saying is God is unaware. He doesn't know what's going on. He can't see us. Our judgment is he's passed by. He hasn't seen it. And yet the truth is the all-powerful God was at work even in the midst of all of that. He says, why would you say this? If I'm holding the stars in place by my power, do you not think that I'm capable of knowing all things that are going on on earth? Friends, He is all-knowing. Nothing escapes His mind. He is in all places. David said, if I make my bed in heaven, thou art there. If I make my bed in hell, thou art there as well. He is everywhere. And so we can get discouraged here thinking of all the corruption and the evil and the wickedness that happens in the world, and we wonder what's going on? How long will they get away with it? How long, oh Lord, will the wicked prosper? And yet the truth is, God is mindful and has seen, and their judgment is coming in His good time and His purposes. The powerful God that holds the stars in place that created the sun is still at work in the earth, and His purposes will be complete, because there is none that is His equal. And in our own strength, in verses 29 through 30, if we lean upon our own strength, even the young faint. Even the kids, we think kids can just go forever. It seems like they never get tired. I'm speaking from experience, y'all. I get to 7 o'clock and I'm thinking, how much longer will their energy last? They woke up at 6, it's now 7 and they're still running around. And yet the truth is, even their energy faints at some point. They crash and burn and pass out. And the youths, the strong men, I think of Cade, he's not here, so I'll pick on him. The strongest among us, even those faint. But they that trust in the Lord, those that wait upon the Lord, that rely on His strength, they renew their strength. Because God is all-sufficient, friends. He does not run out. He is complete in and of Himself. He needs nothing, and He requires nothing. He does not grow weary. He doesn't faint. And when we trust in Him, we mount up as wings as eagles and run and shall not be weary and walk and not faint. Friends, behold your God, the Creator God, He has created all things, and His strength and His power are at work in your life and in my life today, right now, presently. And so we trust Him. We wait upon the Lord, as Isaiah has said here. We trust in Him. Because who is His equal? Where else shall we go, as the Apostle said? Thou hast the words of eternal life. Who else should we trust? And the whole world is trying to figure that whole thing out. Who's trustworthy? What news outlet? What power? The universe is, well, I believe evolution. Well, they found a seashell at the top of Mount Everest. That's out the window. The whole world is in confusion. They don't know who to trust. They're trying to trust in themselves and then things go to pot and they think, They're hopeless. I think that's part of the reason why the suicide rate is so high. They're trusting in their own understanding, and when it fails, they're just deflated. But we that are in Christ Jesus, we can trust in God, the Elohim, the Creator of the heavens and the earth, and His power. The second name of God I'd like to consider this morning is the name of Jehovah. Jehovah. Now, some have translated this name as Yahweh. Some of the newer translators have translated it as Yahweh, but it is the same word. In our KJV, it is translated as LORD, the all-caps LORD. And so if you see that, that's gonna be Jehovah. The interesting thing about this name is that the Jews were so fearful of blaspheming the name of God, they would not speak this name. I think this was a legalistic view of them, but they were zealous about it. And so they would replace it with Adonai, or they would just leave it unspoken if they came to it. And we see God giving an explanation of this name in Exodus chapter 3. So we'll turn to Exodus chapter 3 and look at this here. Exodus chapter 3. We're going to read a good little chunk beginning in verse 5. And we're going to go down through verse 15. Exodus 3, verse 5. And it says, And He said, Draw not nigh hither. Put off thy shoes from off thy feet. For the place wherein thou standest is holy ground. Moreover, he said, I am the God of thy father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, the God of Jacob. And Moses hid his face for he was afraid to look upon God. And the Lord said, I have surely seen the affliction of my people which are in Egypt and have heard their cry by reason of their taskmasters, for I know their sorrows. I am come down to deliver them out of the hand of the Egyptians. and to bring them up out of the land unto a good land, and a large unto a land flowing with milk and honey, unto a place of the Canaanites, and the Hittites, and the Amorites, and the Perizzites, and the Hivites, and the Jebusites. Now therefore, behold, the tribe, the children of Israel, is come unto me, and I have also seen the oppression wherewith the Egyptians oppressed them. Come now therefore, I will send thee unto Pharaoh, that thou mayest bring forth My people, the children of Israel, out of Egypt." And Moses said unto God, Who am I that I should go unto Pharaoh, and that I should bring forth the children of Israel out of Egypt? And He said, Certainly, I will be with thee. and this shall be a token unto thee that I have sent thee. When thou hast brought forth my people out of Egypt, ye shall serve God upon this mountain.' And Moses said unto God, Behold, when I come unto the children of Israel, and shall say to them, The God of your fathers has sent me unto you, and they shall say unto me, What is his name? What shall I say unto them? And God said unto Moses, I am that I am. And he said, thus shalt thou say unto the children of Israel, I am hath sent me unto you. I am that I am. And so I'd like to consider Moses's interaction here before we get into the name. Moses sees the burning bush and comes forward, and God begins with, I am the God of your fathers. What He's telling Moses is, I have been a faithful God to the people of Israel. Here's my track record. I was the God of Abraham. I was the God of Isaac. I was the God of Jacob. And I'm your God as well. And the one thing I wanted to touch on God commands him. He says, we're going to go into Egypt and I'm going to use you. I've heard their cry. It has not fallen on deaf ears. And we will go into Egypt and set my people free. And what is Moses' response? Who am I? I think this is a wrong response of Moses. Sure, God was a God of the past, but He really isn't a God of the present. Moses had missed the point when he says, Who am I? Because he was focusing on Him and not on God. He was thinking on His inadequacies and not the God who said, We are going to go down. Friends, how often do we have the same attitude of Moses? We're called to forgive somebody and we think, I can't do that. Or we're called to love somebody that just seems unlovable and we think, I can't do that. Who am I? How many opportunities are we called to and we say, who am I? And friends, it's not about us, it's about Him. If it were about your abilities, we would never accomplish anything. But yet it's not. And I love the patience of God here where he says certainly assuredly I will be with thee. And this is really just saying Moses, this is not about your ability. This is you are going to be my instrument. And this is going to be about me. I am with you. And then we see Moses begins thinking rightly. Behold, when I come down to the children of Israel. So he's no more thinking, I can't do this. He's saying, when I do this, when I do this, it's no longer if, it's no longer I can't. It's when I do this, who do I say sent me? And God says, I am that I am. One translator puts it this way, but, I am who I have always been. I am who I have always been. And so this phrase, it speaks to God's eternal nature, which we've already covered. But the aspect I want to look at that I believe it speaks to the most is His unchanging nature. All of this has been a joy to study, but this has been just a warm blanket for my soul. The unchanging nature of God. I'm going to try to get through it without tearing up, but we'll see. And so, because of God's unchanging nature, He does not change, nor do His attributes change. So we were speaking of the power of God that created the heavens and the earth. That power is still alive and well today. It has not changed. It has not diminished. It is still present and at work. At maintaining and accomplishing his purposes here on earth. And so the first aspect I would like to look at from this is His love is unchanging. I cannot tell y'all how bad I wanted to put this last to end on a high note, but everything else springs from this, so I had to put it first. But His love is unchanging. So turn with me to Jeremiah 31. And we're going to read verse 3. The Lord hath appeared of old unto me, saying, Yea, I have loved thee with an everlasting love. Therefore, with loving kindness, have I drawn thee." Friends, the reality is, if we're a child of God, His love has been fixed on you since before He formed the world. It has been set, aimed... I couldn't think of any better analogy, but it's almost like you are down the sights of a gun and it is set upon you. It is destined for you. And not only that, but He has drawn you. So not only does He love us, but He has drawn us. So He has not left us. What has He drawn us out of? If we recall, when we were studying through Romans our sin nature in Adam, that we were destined for hell, we were enemies to God because of the nature of Adam, because of his fall, and because of our own sin nature. We're not sinners because we sin, we sin because we're sinners. And yet God has drawn us, set us apart, And where has He drawn us to? Friends, He has put us into the hands of His Son. Turn with me to John 10. John 10. We're going to read verses 25-30. John 10. Verse 25. Jesus answered them, I told you and you believed not the works that I do in my father's name. They bear witness of me, but you believe not because you are not of my sheep. As I said unto you, my sheep hear my voice and I know them and they follow me and I give unto them eternal life and they shall never perish. Neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand. My father, which gave them me, is greater than all, and no man is able to pluck them out of my Father's hand." That's beautiful, isn't it? That we are drawn out, set apart, and placed into the hands of Christ, and nothing can pluck us out of His hand. In Romans 8, it says, what shall separate us from the love of God? Nothing. Friends, He holds you in His hand, and He will not let you go. I thought of this, and a lot of this stems from my sister getting married, and we had a wedding this month. Friends, it's as if when a man proposes to a woman, he gives her a wedding ring. Friends, God has given us an engagement ring. He has sealed us for Himself. And that ring is the Holy Spirit. He has placed His Spirit within us. And one day He will come to claim His bride. It's an assurity. If that love has been fixed upon you for all eternity, then nothing can thwart it or get in the way. And what a comfort this is thinking, you know, We may not always feel love here on earth. You know, there's some times where people that are supposed to love us don't. There are times that we feel abandoned, alone. And yet, if you are in Christ, friends, you have the love of God placed upon you. And it is not an actionless love. That's the most beautiful thing because, you know, as the saying is, talk is cheap. You know, there are people all the time that will tell you things and then never follow through. You know, speaking of love, there'll be someone who says, I love you, and then with every action says, I despise you. And you just wonder, what is this? And yet in Romans chapter five, verse eight, Go ahead and turn with me there. Romans 5. Actually, let's begin in verse 7. Romans 5. For scarcely for a righteous man will one die, yet peradventure for a good man some would even dare to die. But God commendeth His love towards us, and that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us." So friends, God did not only tell us that He has loved us, He has shown us. That word manifest means he has revealed his love towards us. And so we don't have to wonder or question, does God love me? He has showed you by sending Jesus Christ, his own son, who, as we read earlier, is equal with God. And he has sent him into the world. to die for our sins, that we might be reconciled unto God so that we could receive this drawing of God. And so He has shown us His love towards us. You know, if we ended right there, that'd be a good ending point, wouldn't it? But there's more. Like the TV commercial said, but wait, there's more. Because of this love, number two, His mercy is unchanging. His mercy is unchanging. Friends, God's mercy for you will never run out. It does not run dry. We'll never wonder, is this the sin that breaks the camel's back? Is this the time where mercy is out? Am I out of mercy yet? and it never runs out. It is overflowing because Jesus has paid it all. As Brother Lewis always says, this is just one of my favorite quotes from him. I use it a bunch, but goodness and mercy are hunting you violently all the days of your life. So it's not just that they are available for you, they are violently hunting you down. Psalm 25, verse 6. Turn with me to Psalm 25, verse 6. and says, Remember, O Lord, thy tender mercies, thy loving kindness, for they have been ever of old. Friends, God's mercies have ever been. They are just as He is eternal, so His mercies have been eternal and they are never changing because He doesn't change. So they are fixed upon you and we can come boldly to the throne of grace to attain mercy and never wonder Is it out? There's a hymn. Oh, depth of mercy, can it be that mercy still reserved for me? And the answer is yes. Yes, there's always mercy reserved for you, child of God. And lastly. His faithfulness is unchanging. Friends, if He does not change, then His faithfulness will never change. He will never fail to be faithful to His people. Turn with me to Hebrews chapter 13. And we're gonna read verses five and six, Hebrews chapter 13, verses five and six. Let your conversation be without covetousness and be content with such things as you have. For he hath said, I will never leave thee nor forsake thee. So now we may boldly say, the Lord is my helper. I will not fear what man shall do unto me." The Lord is your helper. These words here, they get even sweeter when you look up the meaning, but when He says, I will never leave thee, it means I will never abandon thee. I will never abandon thee. And I will never forsake thee. I will never leave thee behind. I think of the hymn where it says, He will not live in glory and leave me behind. Friends, you were bought with a price. His love has been fixed on you. His mercy is toward you, and so his faithfulness is upon you, and he will not live in glory and leave you behind because you are his. He has placed you into the hands of Christ, and there is nothing that can pluck you out of there. And what a, again, just a salve this is for your soul. Think of the God that will never leave nor forsake. He will not abandon. You know, sometimes here we feel abandoned. I don't know if you ever have, but you can feel just abandoned and alone. And yet the all-present God who is the I Am has always been, and he is in all places, he sees. There are several places that we've gone to where he was talking about, why sayest thou, oh, Jacob, this judgment is passed, God has passed on. Oh, God is aware, he sees, and he is working his purposes through all of it, through all of it. So He will not abandon us in trouble. He will not abandon us when we're on the mountaintop, when we sometimes foolishly think I've got it on autopilot right now. He's with us there as much as He is with us in the fire. He's with us. And He will not abandon us. Friends, we can have great confidence in that. Again, that should be a warm blanket for our soul. of just the love of God. And all that comes with it, He has given us, as Brother Reid said this morning, He has given us all spiritual blessings in Christ Jesus. And so, we can say with the hymn writer, change and decay in all around I see. O thou who changes not, abide with me. And we know that He does. We might also say with Jeremiah, thy mercies are new every morning. Great is thy faithfulness. Great is thy faithfulness. Let's pray. Our gracious heavenly Father. Father, we thank you that you are the great I am. That you have always been. Are now and forever will be. Father, when we think of the great love that You've shown us, who are undeserving in every aspect, is to have manifested Your love toward us. Father, we thank You and we praise You. Father, You are worthy of all the glory, all of the honor and all the praise. Holy, holy, holy is Thy name. It's in Jesus' name I pray. Amen. We'll stand and sing a hymn. Is there a hymn? Alright, number 50. Stand and sing number 50.