Tony Evans — The Majesty of God's Names
So, O magnify the Lord with me, and let us exalt his name together. Somebody ought to raise your hand and pump it up, pump it up, pump it up, pump it up. Because his name is Elohim.
Hello, this is Dr. Tony Evans with "The Urban Alternative." As we study the names of God, we come to know God, and we come to know how God wants to relate to us and the rest of his creation. That's why I'm excited about this series on the names of God. And I believe when you come to know what those names are, what those names mean, and why those names matter, your life will be transformed.
So let's get to the Word of God and find out about the names of God.
As we get into God's Word and learn about His great name, in fact the power of God's names. Names matter. They matter in our lives. They matter in our world. They matter because they give us clues about people, places, and things. If I say, "Bill Gates," you gonna think, "Money."
Names matter when a woman takes on the name of her husband. Because when she takes on his name, that represents a relationship. And many of her hopes and dreams are tied to that relationship. In fact, we are very concerned that names don't misrepresent us but represent us.
Nicknames fit in that category. If I call you, "Slim," that pretty much means you're skinny. If your nickname is, "Chubby," that pretty much means you're a round ball. Because names can be very descriptive. Because names matter. Folks take autographs of celebrities. They want their names written down so that they can say, "I met him or her. I know him or her." Because names matter.
Well, if names matter among people, who go and come, whose names may or may not truly represent who they are, then the concept of names mattering when it comes to who God is ought to be that much more valuable and that much more important. And that's why we're studying the power of God's names.
Because we want to look at the key names of God, what they mean, and why they matter. Why they matter for your life and your spiritual well-being, and what that name, or those names, can do in your everyday existence as a believer in God and a follower of Jesus Christ. The Bible has a lot to say about the name of God and how critical it is.
For example, Psalm chapter, verse says, "O Lord, how majestic is your name." Psalm, verse ascribed to God the glory due his name. Psalm, verse, "Fear God's name." Psalm, verse, "Awesome is his name." Proverbs, verse, "The name of the Lord is a strong tower." Over and over and over and over again, we hear about the glory of God's name. But God has a whole plethora of names that describe him throughout the Bible.
Because God's names are designed to give us clues into his nature. They are just not nomenclature for you to pronounce a word. It is to give you clues about who he is.
God's name is so special, so unique, his name is to be hallowed. In fact, we were taught to pray that way: "Our Father who art in heaven, hallowed be your name." The word, "hallow," means "set apart, unique, or sacred." It's like the word, "holy."
In fact, they're born out of the same root family. To be sacred. It means that you're holding it in a unique position. You know, in our homes we have dishes in the sink. We'll call them, "The profane dishes," 'cause they're dirty. Then you've got dishes in the kitchen cupboard. We'll call those, "Common dishes," because they are regularly used for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. But then you have, "Sacred dishes."
Those are in the dining room. They got their own room, their own glass encasing, and nobody better not touch 'em. 'Cause they are for special occasion and guests. Because they have been deemed to be holy, set apart, or sacred. They have been hallowed and are to be handled in a unique way. "Hallowed be thy name." God's name wants to be held in the unique position that it ought to occupy in our lives and in our world.