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WHO IS GOD, REALLY?
What if the name of God is not merely something we speak, but someone who is inviting us to know Him?
In this series, Known By His Name, we will discover that the names of God are more than ancient titles, theological ideas, or religious language. They are windows into His heart. From the very beginning, God has not remained distant, vague, or unknowable. He has revealed Himself so that His people would know His character, trust His promises, and receive His salvation. We will begin by seeing how names like Elohim, YHWH, and Adonai introduce us to the Creator, the covenant Lord, and the One worthy of our surrender. Then we will stand with Moses in Exodus 34 and hear God proclaim His own name as merciful, gracious, slow to anger, abounding in love and faithfulness, forgiving sin, and perfectly just.
From there, we will walk through some of the beautiful names of God that speak directly into the places where life often feels fragile. When we feel weak, El Shaddai reveals the God who is more than enough. When everything keeps changing, El Olam reminds us that the Everlasting God remains faithful. When we cannot see the way forward, YHWH Jireh teaches us to trust the Lord who provides. When fear and anxiety rise, YHWH Shalom meets us with the peace only His presence can give.
We will also come to know YHWH Rohi, the Shepherd who leads, restores, protects, and stays near. We will lift our eyes to YHWH Sabaoth, the Lord of hosts, who reigns over every battle and every unseen force. And when life feels unstable, we will anchor our hearts in YHWH Tsuri, the Lord our Rock.
Each name reveals a God who is not only great, but near. Not only holy, but merciful. Not only powerful, but personal. And every name leads us to Jesus, the name above every name, where the fullness of God’s character, promises, and salvation are made known.
In the gym, on a walk, or relaxing at home? Get into a worshipful mindset with this custom playlist focusing on the names of God!
What's in a Name?
Sunday, July 5, 2026
Exodus 3:14-15
Big Idea:
God’s many names do not reveal many gods; they reveal the richness of the one true God. Each name shines light on his character, each title anchors one of his promises, and all of them ultimately lead us to the saving revelation of God in Jesus Christ.
Synopsis:
What if God’s names are not just titles to learn, but invitations to know Him more deeply? Throughout Scripture, God reveals Himself by name so that His people would know His character, trust His promises, and recognize His salvation. Elohim shows us the Creator who made all things, YHWH reveals the covenant Lord who comes near, Adonai reminds us that He is worthy of our surrender, and the name of Jesus brings the fullness of God’s saving love into focus. This opening message introduces the beauty, depth, and power of the names of God across the story of Scripture. We will see that God does not remain distant, vague, or unknowable. He makes Himself known so that we can worship Him, trust Him, and follow Him. The God who reveals His name is inviting us to know His heart.
Gospel Lens:
Jesus is not detached from the names of God; He is their fulfillment. The Creator becomes incarnate, the covenant Lord comes near, and the saving name of Jesus gathers up the Old Testament testimony into one glorious confession: God has come to save.
Old Testament Info:
The Bible unfolds God’s self-revelation through different names and titles. Elohim highlights God as Creator in Genesis 1:1; YHWH is bound to God’s covenant self-disclosure in Exodus 3:14–15; and Adonai carries the sense of sovereign Lord or Master, as in Psalm 8:1.
New Testament Info:
The New Testament gathers these threads into Jesus. Matthew 1:21 says his
name is given because he will save his people from their sins; Matthew 1:23 names
him Immanuel, “God with us”; and Philippians 2:9–11 says God gave him the name
above every name so that every tongue would confess that Jesus Christ is Lord.
Reflect:
- Where have I reduced God to one trait that feels manageable instead of receiving the fullness of who he has revealed himself to be?
- Which name of God do I most need to hold onto in this season: Creator, Lord, Shepherd, Healer, Provider, Peace, or Righteousness?
- Do I speak the name of Jesus with familiarity, or with faith-filled reverence?
The Proclamation of Himself
Sunday, July 12, 2026
Exodus 34:5-7
Big Idea:
God’s name in Exodus 34 shows that his glory is not bare power but holy mercy. He is compassionate without becoming soft on sin, and he is just without ceasing to be gracious. His character holds together what sinful people usually pull apart: love and holiness, forgiveness and truth, patience and righteousness.
Synopsis:
What would God say if He introduced Himself in His own words? In Exodus 34, God passes before Moses and proclaims His name, revealing Himself as merciful, gracious, slow to anger, abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness, forgiving sin, yet perfectly just. This is not humanity reaching up to define God, but God coming down to make Himself known. At the heart of His name is the wonder of a God who is both holy and compassionate, both just and merciful, both faithful and forgiving. This passage becomes one of the most important self-revelations of God in the entire Bible, echoed again and again throughout Scripture. It shows us the God we meet fully in Jesus, where justice and mercy come together at the cross. When God proclaims His name, He reveals the heart that saves us.
Gospel Lens:
Jesus is not detached from the names of God; He is their fulfillment. The Creator becomes incarnate, the covenant Lord comes near, and the saving name of Jesus gathers up the Old Testament testimony into one glorious confession: God has come to save.
Old Testament Info:
Exodus 34:5–7 is one of the most important “name” texts in the whole Bible because God himself proclaims his own name to Moses: “The LORD, the LORD, the compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger, abounding in love and faithfulness,” while also affirming that he does not leave the guilty unpunished. This is not a side note in the story; it is God’s own summary of his character after Israel’s sin with the golden calf. The Old Testament keeps returning to this passage—Numbers 14:18, Psalm 103:8, Joel 2:13, and Nahum 1:3 all echo its language—showing that Israel learned to understand God through this self-revelation.
New Testament Info:
In the New Testament, John says the Word became flesh, full of grace and truth, and that grace and truth came through Jesus Christ; Jesus also says he has revealed the Father’s name.
Reflect:
- Do I secretly imagine God as less gracious than Exodus 34 says he is?
- Do I treat grace as permission to drift, even though the same passage says God is holy and just?
- When I fail, do I run from God in shame, or return to him on the basis of the character he himself has proclaimed?
- Do I take lightly his punishment of sin and truth of judgement?
When Everything Shifts: Finding El Olam
Sunday, July 19, 2026
Big Idea:
The name El Olam reveals a God who is not trapped by time, threatened by change, or exhausted by long waiting. His character is steady, His promises outlast generations, and his salvation is not a temporary fix but an eternal covenant reality.
Synopsis:
What can hold you steady when everything around you keeps changing? El Olam reveals God as the Everlasting God, the One who was before all things, remains through all things, and will be faithful beyond all things. Our lives are marked by change, transition, uncertainty, and endings, but God is not fragile or temporary. His promises are not limited by time, and His faithfulness does not expire. In Jesus, the eternal God steps into time so that we might receive eternal life. This name invites us to anchor our short and changing lives in the unchanging character of God. When everything else passes away, El Olam remains.
Gospel Lens:
The gospel does not offer a passing spiritual experience but fellowship with the everlasting God through the unchanging Christ. Because Jesus is the same forever, believers can rest in a salvation that does not expire and a covenant that does not fray.
Old Testament Info:
El Olam means Everlasting God. Abraham uses this title in
Genesis 21:33, and the idea is echoed in Psalm 90:2 and Isaiah 40:28, where God is
described as everlasting before the world and beyond its weariness.
New Testament Info:
Revelation 1:8 speaks of the Lord as the One “who is, and who was, and who
is to come,” and Hebrews 13:8 says Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and
forever.
Reflect:
- Where have I let the fleeting shape my confidence more than the eternal?
- Am I interpreting delay as divine absence, or as a reminder that God works on an everlasting timeline?
- What would it look like to build my habits around what endures forever?
YHWH Jireh: The Lord Will Provide
Sunday, July 26, 2026
Big Idea:
YHWH Jireh reveals a God who sees ahead and provides what is needed at the appointed moment. His character is faithful, his promises are not abandoned in the test, and his salvation comes through the provision of a substitute.
Synopsis:
What do you do when obedience leads you to a place where you cannot see the provision yet? YHWH Jireh means the Lord will provide, a name revealed in the story of Abraham and Isaac on Mount Moriah. At the very place of surrender, God provides what Abraham could not provide for himself. This name reminds us that God’s provision is not always early, not always obvious, and not always what we expected, but it is always rooted in His faithfulness. In the Gospel, we see the ultimate provision of God in Jesus, the beloved Son who was not spared but given for us. YHWH Jireh calls us to trust God not only for daily needs, but for our deepest need of salvation. On the mountain of surrender, we discover the God who provides.
Gospel Lens:
The deepest provision of God is not material but redemptive. On the mountain of the Lord, God ultimately provides not just a ram for Abraham but the Lamb for the world in Jesus Christ.
Old Testament Info:
YHWH Jireh means The LORD will provide. It is explicitly named
in Genesis 22:14 after the Lord provides the ram in place of Isaac; the surrounding
chapter makes provision inseparable from sacrificial substitution.
New Testament Info:
Philippians 4:19 says God will meet all your needs in Christ Jesus, and the
whole Genesis 22 scene naturally resonates with the Father who does not withhold
the Son in order to save.
Reflect:
- What am I gripping so tightly that I cannot see God’s provision clearly?
- Where is God asking me to trust his heart before I understand his timing?
- Am I more focused on what God has not yet provided than on the salvation He already has?
YHWH Rohi: The Lord Is My Shepherd
Sunday, August 2, 2026
Big Idea:
YHWH Rohi reveals a God who does not merely command his flock but cares for it. His character is guiding and protective, his promises lead, feed, and restore, and his salvation gathers wandering sheep into the care of the Shepherd-King.
Synopsis:
Who is leading you, feeding you, and restoring your soul? YHWH Rohi means the Lord is my shepherd, the name David uses in Psalm 23 to describe God’s tender care and faithful guidance. This name reveals a God who does not merely rule from a distance, but walks with His people through green pastures, dark valleys, enemies, and homecomings. He provides, restores, leads, protects, and stays near. In the New Testament, Jesus takes this name into Himself when He says, “I am the Good Shepherd,” laying down His life for the sheep. YHWH Rohi reminds us that we are not abandoned wanderers, but beloved sheep under the care of a faithful Shepherd. The Shepherd who leads us through the valley will bring us all the way home.
Gospel Lens:
The gospel turns Psalm 23 from poetry into fulfilled promise because the Good Shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. New Testament believers are not merely led by Christ; they are purchased and kept by him.
Old Testament Info:
YHWH Rohi points to The LORD is my shepherd, especially in
Psalm 23:1. The shepherd image is enriched by Genesis 48:15, where Jacob speaks
of God as the one who has been his shepherd all his life.
New Testament Info:
Jesus explicitly says, “I am the good shepherd” in John 10:11–14, and
Hebrews 13:20 calls Him the great Shepherd of the sheep.
Reflect:
- Am I letting the Shepherd lead me, or only asking him to bless my chosen path?
- What would rest look like if I believed I am actually being cared for?
- Where do I need to hear again that the Shepherd has not lost sight of me?
El Shaddai: God Almighty
Sunday, August 9, 2026
Big Idea:
El Shaddai reveals a God whose power is never detached from his promises. He is mighty enough to create what does not yet exist, sustain what feels impossible, and keep covenant when human strength has run out.
Synopsis:
Where do you turn when life exposes your limits? El Shaddai reveals God as the Almighty One, the God who is more than enough when His people are weak, waiting, or unable to bring His promises to pass on their own. He comes to Abraham and Sarah when the promise seems impossible, reminding them that the future rests not on human strength but on divine power. This name teaches us that God is not intimidated by barrenness, delay, age, weakness, or impossibility. In Christ, we see the power of God revealed not only through miracles, but through the cross and resurrection, where weakness becomes the place of victory. El Shaddai invites us to stop pretending we are sufficient and to rest in the God who is. The Almighty God is still able to do what only He can do.
Gospel Lens:
In Christ, the Almighty God does not merely flex power over us; he exerts saving power for us. The gospel says the God who was enough for Abraham is enough for the church, and Christ’s grace is sufficient even where our strength is not.
Old Testament Info:
Commonly translated God Almighty, El Shaddai appears in
Genesis 17:1, Genesis 28:3, Genesis 35:11, Genesis 43:14, Genesis 48:3, and Exodus
6:3. The exact nuance of Shaddai is discussed by scholars, but the standard biblical
rendering consistently emphasizes God’s mighty, covenant-keeping sufficiency.
New Testament Info:
El Shaddai fits naturally with the Abraham/Sarah promise fulfilled through
faith, since Romans 4 says Abraham was “fully persuaded that God had power to do
what he had promised,” and Hebrews 11 says Sarah judged God faithful. Revelation
1:8 also calls the Lord “the Almighty.”
Reflect:
- Where have I concluded that my situation is too far gone for God’s promise?
- Am I measuring God’s faithfulness by my resources, or my resources by God’s faithfulness?
- What would it look like to trust God’s power in the place where I feel weakest?
YHWH Sabaoth: The Lord of Hosts
Sunday, August 16, 2026
Big Idea:
YHWH Sabaoth reveals a God whose holiness is not fragile and whose rule is not symbolic. His character is majestic and sovereign, his promises stand because heaven’s armies answer to him, and his salvation includes both the defence of his people and the final defeat of evil.
Synopsis:
Where do you find courage when you feel surrounded, outnumbered, or overwhelmed? YHWH Sabaoth means the Lord of hosts, the commander of heaven’s armies and the sovereign King over all powers. This name appears often in seasons of battle, fear, injustice, exile, and longing, reminding God’s people that unseen realities are greater than visible threats. The Lord is not powerless before evil, nor absent in the suffering of His people. In the New Testament, we see this authority gathered up in Jesus, who commands angels, confronts demons, conquers death, and will return in glory. YHWH Sabaoth teaches us that courage is not the absence of danger, but confidence in the Lord who reigns over every force. When we feel surrounded, we are held by the Lord of hosts.
Gospel Lens:
The gospel does not domesticate the Lord of hosts; it reveals that the King of heaven conquers through the obedience, death, and triumph of Christ. The armies of heaven belong to the crucified and risen Lord.
Old Testament Info:
YHWH Sabaoth means The LORD of hosts or The LORD of
armies. The title appears in places like 1 Samuel 1:3 and Isaiah 6:3, and it presents
God as the sovereign commander of heaven’s forces and the Holy One whose glory
fills the earth.
New Testament Info:
The title still appears in the New Testament in James 5:4 and Romans 9:29,
and Revelation 19 pictures the armies of heaven following the victorious Christ. Jesus
also says he could call on more than twelve legions of angels.
Reflect:
- Where have I shrunk God down to a manageable helper rather than worshiped Him as the Lord of hosts?
- Does the holiness of God produce reverence in me, or have I become casual with glory?
- Where do I need courage because the Lord of heaven is not absent from the fight?
YHWH Tsuri: The Lord My Rock
Sunday, August 23, 2026
Big Idea:
YHWH Tsuri reveals God as stable, dependable, and strong. His character is unshakable, his promises give refuge, and his salvation provides a foundation that does not collapse under pressure.
Synopsis:
What do you stand on when everything beneath you feels unstable? YHWH Tsuri means the Lord my rock, revealing God as the refuge, strength, stability, and saving foundation of His people. Throughout the Psalms, God is called the Rock because He is dependable when enemies rise, emotions shake, and circumstances change. This name invites us to build our lives on something stronger than success, approval, comfort, or control. In the New Testament, Christ is revealed as the Cornerstone, the spiritual rock, and the foundation that cannot be moved. YHWH Tsuri reminds us that faith does not deny life’s storms, but anchors us in the God who holds firm through them. When the ground gives way, the Rock remains.
Gospel Lens:
Christ is not one more support beam added to an unstable life; he is the Rock himself. The believer’s confidence rests not in changing circumstances but in the unchanging Christ.
Old Testament Info:
YHWH Tsuri means The LORD my Rock. The imagery appears
richly in 2 Samuel 22:2–3, Psalm 19:14, and Isaiah 26:4, where God is called both a
personal rock and an everlasting rock.
New Testament Info:
First Corinthians 10:4 says the spiritual Rock was Christ. That does not erase
the Old Testament imagery; it intensifies it by showing Christ as the stable, sustaining
presence of God with his people.
Reflect:
- What am I leaning on that cannot bear the weight of my life?
- Where do I need to exchange emotional instability for rock-solid trust in God?
- Are my words and meditations shaped by the reality that the Lord is my Rock and Redeemer?
YHWH Shalom: The Lord Is Peace
Sunday, August 30, 2026
Big Idea:
YHWH Shalom reveals a God whose peace is not denial of conflict but his presence in the midst of it. His character is calming and reconciling, his promises quiet fear, and his salvation makes peace with God and extends peace into troubled hearts.
Synopsis:
What if peace is not the absence of trouble, but the presence of God in the middle of it? YHWH Shalom means the Lord is peace, a name revealed to Gideon when fear, insecurity, and calling collide. Gideon feels weak and unqualified, yet God meets him with peace before sending him into purpose. This name shows us that God’s peace is not shallow comfort, but deep wholeness rooted in His presence. In Jesus, the peace of God comes near, as He reconciles us to the Father, calms troubled hearts, and makes peace through the blood of His cross. YHWH Shalom invites us to receive peace before we try to produce it. The Lord who calls us is also the peace that carries us.
Gospel Lens:
In Jesus, peace is not merely felt; it is accomplished. Through the cross, Christ makes peace, and by the Spirit he gives peace that the world cannot manufacture.
Old Testament Info:
YHWH Shalom means The LORD is peace. Gideon names the
altar this way in Judges 6:24 after encountering God in fear and weakness. The name
does not emerge in tranquil circumstances but in a moment of instability, oppression,
and trembling.
New Testament Info:
Ephesians 2:14 says Christ himself is our peace, and John 14:27 records
Jesus saying, “My peace I give you.”
Reflect:
- Where am I asking circumstances to give me what only God can give?
- What fear in my life needs to be answered by God’s presence rather than my control?
- Am I living as a peacemaker shaped by the peace of Christ?