Eyes on God - Lesson 1
Overview
Eyes on God: The Lord Who Does Not Change
When life feels uncertain, Scripture lifts our gaze upward to the One whose very name reveals His unchanging character. The Hebrew Bible uses several names for God that English versions usually flatten into "God" or "Lord," but each name carries something rich. Elohim speaks of God's strength and omnipotence. El marks the stark distinction between Creator and creature—a distinction Adam and Eve refused to honor when they grasped to be like God Genesis 3. Adonai names Him as ruler and master of all. And Yahweh—rendered in English Bibles as "LORD" in small caps—was so holy to the Jewish people that they substituted "Adonai" rather than speak it aloud, a reverence that guards us from treating God as merely a buddy or pal rather than the Holy One.
God Does Not Change
At the burning bush, when Moses asked God's name, the answer was staggering: "I AM WHO I AM" Exodus 3:14. God is personal, independent, timeless, and constant—encompassing past, present, and future in His very identity. He is the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob; He is the God who sees His people's present misery; and He is the God who will bring them into the future He has promised. Jesus claims this same name for Himself in John 8:58—"before Abraham was, I am"—and the crowd recognized the claim to deity instantly. A God who could change would not be God at all. His steadfastness is His glory.
God Is Faithful to His Promises
In Exodus 6:1-8, the LORD reaffirms the covenant He had made with the patriarchs: "I have remembered my covenant… I will free you… I will redeem you… I will take you as my people." If God could go back on a promise, He would not be faithful, and He would not be God. The same covenant faithfulness that delivered Israel from slavery ultimately brought forth the Messiah, the Lord Jesus Christ, through that very people. What He swears, He performs.
God Freely Gives His Grace
When the LORD passed before Moses on Sinai, He proclaimed His own name as "merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness" Exodus 34:6-7. Grace flows from who He is. Isaiah picks up this same comfort: the everlasting God does not faint or grow weary, and "those who wait for the LORD shall renew their strength" Isaiah 40:27-31. To His chosen people He says, "Do not fear, for I am with you… I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you" Isaiah 41:8-10.
Pastoral Application
A pandemic exposes how fragile our plans are and how dependent we truly are on God for every heartbeat. Moses' question—"Who am I?"—is the right posture for every believer. Luther counseled that in good times we should not grow comfortable, for difficulty will come; and in hard times we must not despair, for God will send relief. When we are tempted to fear, we lift our eyes to the LORD whose name is His pledge: He does not change, He keeps His promises, and He pours out grace upon His people. Rest there this week.
Transcript
Good morning and welcome. I look forward to sharing with you over these next five 0s
weeks special class that I have entitled Eyes on God. And what I'd like to do is 6s
I'd like to examine with you the pandemic in which we find ourselves in. But I 13s
want to examine that pandemic through the lenses of Holy Scripture. And so this 20s
is a time in which we turn to God's Word in which we can be comforted by God's 27s
Word and ask, Lord, what is it that you have to say amidst these times that we 32s
find ourselves in? Let's pray together, please. Grace is Heavenly Father. We give 39s
you thanks for your goodness and for your grace. We bow now before the authority 46s
of your Word. For we know that as we open up the pages of Holy Scripture, the 52s
voice that we hear is your voice. Thus, sayeth the Lord, carries the weight. It is 59s
the gravitas of the words that we need. And so Father, as we humble ourselves now 66s
before your Word, we do so with the confidence that we will hear you speak for 74s
Holy Scripture is your Word to us. Bless this study. Equip us to be sent forth 82s
into our neighborhoods and to our relationships to share the good news of the 90s
Lord Jesus Christ. Indeed, to be a people of joy amidst this time. Thank you, 95s
Lord, that you lift our eyes unto you. In the name of the resurrected one, the 103s
Lord Jesus Christ, we pray. Amen. I'd like to share with you a little bit now 110s
about where we're going to be going here these next five weeks here that we are 117s
together. Next week, I want to take a look at the topic entitled God in the 122s
midst of the storm. And in particular, I want to answer the question from 128s
Scripture, where is God amidst this pandemic? Is God still on his throne? Is God 133s
still sovereign? Is God still in control? And what is it that God is at work 140s
accomplishing as he uses this pandemic? In other words, where is God at work? How 147s
can we understand where he is at work? How is it that he is taking something? And 155s
he is out of it. And so we ask ourselves those questions. Where is God amidst the 163s
storm? So that's next week. Then going ahead, I want to explore with you the topic of God, 170s
the one who hears our cries. Then in week four, God, the one who responds. And then in 176s
our last session together, God, the one who replaces fear with faith. Today, I want to 184s
lay some pavement, so to speak, over which we're going to travel in the weeks ahead. And I want 192s
to take a look at the topic of God, the Lord, God, the Lord. So today is really a 198s
foundational basis for where we're going to go in the weeks ahead as we lift by God's grace, 207s
our eyes unto God. When you look in the English Bibles, the English Bibles almost 214s
always translates the Hebrew names for God one of two ways, either God or Lord. But the Hebrew 221s
is so rich in terms of the names of God. That when we look at it in English and we see God or 233s
Lord, there's so much underneath that when one looks at the Hebrew and the Hebrew names for God. 243s
In particular, when we look at the Hebrew names of God in Holy Scripture, one of the names is 253s
Elohim, Elohim. That has the basic meaning of to be strong. And so in other words, God has this 262s
unique strength about him. He is all powerful. He is omnipotent. He is that powerful one and so that 273s
very name in the Hebrew for God, Elohim reminds us of that. Another word for God in the Hebrew is very, 282s
very simple. It's simply L. And what L distinguishes is the distinction between God and human beings. We are not 290s
God, right? That is very evident. Even though in our sinfulness, we can so often act as if we are God. Think 302s
back to the Garden of Eden. Remember God had created Adam and Eve, placed them in the garden, and said, 312s
you can eat of every tree except one. The tree of the knowledge of good and evil. God said, the day you eat of that 318s
tree, the day that you determine for yourself, what is right and wrong, that day is death. But what we see in 325s
our first parents is they weren't content with being the created. They wanted to be the creator. And so L is a 333s
very helpful name for God in the Hebrew because it reminds us that there is a fundamental, stark, huge difference between God 342s
and us. So Elohim, God is strong, L, making the distinction between God and human beings. The next word here is 355s
Adonai. Adonai. That is the normal Hebrew word for Lord. And the emphasis there with regard to Adonai is 367s
ruler or master of all. It's just a beautiful designation. It's a beautiful name that reminds us that indeed God is the ruler. God is the master. 378s
Not only of us, but absolutely of everything. The next word is Yahweh. Yahweh. 394s
The Jews understood Yahweh as being so holy that when it would come time to read Yahweh, they wouldn't say it. In fact, what they would do is they would substitute Adonai or Lord. That really also is a beautiful image to us because it commutes us. 406s
It communicates the holdiness and the otherness of God. The agent which we live in, we can be tempted to treat God as a buddy or God as a pal. Instead of understanding. 434s
He is the holy one. He is perfect. He dwells in light. Indeed, he is all powerful, all knowing. He is other than us. 449s
And here the Jew understood that God is so holy. He is so other than us that they wouldn't even use the name Yahweh. But instead they would substitute Adonai. 465s
If you are looking in the Old Testament, when you come across and you see Lord and it is all capitalized, that is where it is actually the word Yahweh. 482s
So when you see it in all caps, it is the use of Adonai as if they wouldn't say Yahweh. They would use Adonai. But the actual word is Yahweh. 498s
For example, turn with me please to Exodus the 4th chapter. Exodus is the second book in the Old Testament, Genesis and then Exodus. Exodus chapter 4 and we will pick up in verse 10. 514s
So Exodus 4 verse 10. And there we read. 533s
But Moses said to the Lord, 540s
I have never been eloquent, neither in the past nor even now, that you have spoken to your servant, but I am slow of speech and slow of tongue. 546s
Then the Lord said to Him and then the verse goes on. Notice there at the beginning of 10, but Moses said to the Lord, 560s
it is all caps, isn't it? That is the word Yahweh there. So it is a little clue in our English translations. 571s
The same thing in verse 11, then the Lord said to Him, all caps, same thing. It is the word Yahweh. 580s
So the Hebrew names then for God, Elohim to be strong, Elle making the distinction between God and humans. 590s
Adonai, the normal word for Lord that highlights ruler or master of all. And then there is Yahweh, capped in the English. 599s
The Jewish people so holy that they could not verbalize the word that they were seeing, but yet they verbalized another word. 613s
The name Lord signifies a God who does not change. 628s
There is point number one. As by the grace of God, God lifts our eyes unto Him. 644s
As God lifts our eyes amidst the situation of the pandemic that we are dealing with. 653s
As God lifts our eyes to Him, we are reminded through His self-revelation in Holy Scripture. 659s
We are reminded that He does not change. See that is part of who God is. God can't change. 667s
He is consistent. It is who He is. If God were a changing God, then He wouldn't be God. For God is consistent. He steadfast. He does not change. 680s
Let's explore this a little bit. Let's go to Exodus chapter 3. And there is the great, great story of the burning bush. 699s
And picking up in chapter 3, we read in verse 1. Moses was keeping the flock of his father-in-law, Jethro, the priest of Midian. 711s
He led his flock beyond the wilderness and came to Horeb, the mountain of God. 725s
There the angel of the Lord appeared to him in a flame of fire out of a bush. He looked and the bush was blazing, yet it was not consumed. 733s
Let's get an understanding here as we go through this text. You see the phrase there at the beginning of verse 2 where it says, 747s
there the angel of the Lord appeared to him. This was not one of the created angels. This was the second member of the Trinity, the Lord Jesus Christ. 756s
We see this at times in the Old Testament. For example, before this, the second member of the Trinity, the Lord Jesus Christ, the angel of the Lord had appeared to haigarth. That's in Genesis 16. 772s
The voice that came from heaven in Genesis chapter 22, instructing Abraham not to kill his son Isaac. That voice, the angel of the Lord, was the Lord Jesus Christ, the second member of the Holy Trinity, the father, the son, and the Holy Spirit. 789s
Verse 3. 812s
Verse 5. 849s
Then he said, come no closer. Remove the sandals from your feet for the place on which you are standing is wholly ground. He said further. 853s
I am the God of your father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, and Moses hid his face for he was afraid to look at God. 866s
That's an expression of respect. It's an expression of reverence. We see that reaction, other places, in Holy Scripture. 877s
When the Holy presence of God invokes this reaction of the understanding of one's own sinfulness, one's own unworthiness, the difference between God and us as human beings, and there is that understanding of this expression of God's holiness and reverence as we compare ourselves. 887s
To God Almighty. 917s
Picking up now in verse 7. 920s
Then the Lord said, I have observed the misery of my people who are in Egypt. 925s
I have heard their cry on account of their taskmasters. Indeed, I know their sufferings. 932s
And I have come down to deliver them from the Egyptians, and to bring them up out of that land to a good and broad land, a land flowing with milk and honey, to the country of the Canaanites, the Hittites, the Amorites, the Parasites, the Hivites, and the Jebiusites. 940s
The cry of the Israelites has now come to me. I have also seen how the Egyptians oppressed them. 963s
So come, I will send you to Pharaoh to bring my people the Israelites out of Egypt. 972s
What's Moses' reaction? Verse 11. 981s
The Moses said to God, who am I that I should go to Pharaoh and bring the Israelites out of Egypt? Who am I? 986s
This isn't a side here. That is a really good reaction. 999s
In fact, that is a reaction that all of us should continually have. 1004s
Because what Moses realizes here in this special way is how deficient he is to do this task. 1010s
We are absolutely dependent on God Almighty. 1020s
Every blink of the eye, every beat of the heart, we are absolutely dependent on God. 1028s
What we're discovering anew, right, as we go through this time of the pandemic, is really how fragile everything is, right? 1038s
All the plans that perhaps we have here for these days or in the months ahead, all of a sudden everything is put on hold when one witnesses how the pandemic affects people in different ways. 1049s
From no reaction at all, even though a person may have the virus to the person who is on the ventilator. 1067s
It is a reminder, a stark reminder to us, right? 1079s
Of how fragile life is, how dependent we are on God, 1084s
and that it is only by His grace, it is only in His strength that we live. 1092s
That is what Moses is highlighting here. Who am I to do this? 1097s
I am not equipped for this. That is a good and helpful acknowledgement for us all each and every day. 1101s
You say, Lord, I am absolutely dependent, absolutely dependent upon you. 1110s
We go on, in verse 12, He said, I will be with you, and this shall be the sign for you that it is I who sent you. 1120s
When you have brought the people out of Egypt, you shall worship God on this mountain, verse 13. 1133s
But Moses said to God, if I come to the Israelites and say to them, the God of your ancestors has sent me to you and they ask me, what is His name? 1143s
What shall I say to them? Notice the response. 1158s
God said to Moses, I am who I am. 1165s
He said further, thus you shall say to the Israelites, I am has sent me to you. 1172s
God also said to Moses, thus you shall say to the Israelites, the Lord, the God of your ancestors, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob has sent me to you. 1183s
This is my name forever and this is my title for all generations. 1193s
Why I wanted to study this section with you is because it is an instructive passage that God uses to lift our eyes unto Him, lifting our eyes unto Him the Lord. 1202s
As we explore His name, His designation, His title, it is so instructive for the days that we live in. 1220s
God's answer to Moses here distills for us then a truth about His very identity, about His very essence. 1232s
God is personal. In other words, He can think, He can feel, He can decide, He can act. He has absolute independence. 1243s
He is timeless. He is changeless. He is constant. He is not dependent on anyone else. He is not dependent on something else. 1256s
The meaning also here of the I.M. says that God encompasses here the past and the present and the future. 1277s
Look at verse 15 once again with me. 1287s
God also said to Moses, thus you shall say to the Israelites, the Lord, the God of your ancestors, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob has sent me to you. 1293s
This is my name forever and this is my title for all generations. 1306s
God had formed this people. God had established the covenant. God is referring to the past. God encompasses here the past, expressed in His very name. 1313s
He encompasses the present. Look at verse 10 with me please. 1326s
So come, I will send you to Pharaoh to bring my people, the Israelites, out of Egypt. 1333s
The situation that the people of God had found themselves in under the oppressive hand of the Pharaoh, slaves, and God is going to free them, propelling them to the promised land, the land that He had sworn to give to His people. 1342s
God then is the God of the past. God is the God of the present and the future is also encompassed in His very name. 1363s
The second part of verse 15 once again. 1372s
This is my name forever and this my title for all generations. 1378s
God does not change. God is not dependent on anyone. God's very name encompasses the past and the present and the future. 1389s
Turn them with me please. To John the eighth chapter beginning with verse 53. 1407s
The gospel of John is in the New Testament. You have Matthew, Mark, Luke, and then John. John chapter 8 picking up in verse 53. 1413s
John 8 verse 53. And here we read. 1427s
Are you greater than our father Abraham who died? The prophets also died. Who do you claim to be? Jesus answered. 1435s
If I glorify myself, my glory is nothing. It is my father who glorifies me. He of whom you say, he is our God, though you do not know Him. 1448s
But I know Him. If I would say that I do not know Him, I would be a liar like you. But I do know Him and I keep His word. 1466s
Your ancestor Abraham rejoiced that he would see my day, he saw it, and was glad. 1479s
Then the Jews said to Him, you are not yet 50 years old and have you seen Abraham? Jesus said to them, very truly I tell you, I catch this, before Abraham was I am. 1487s
What was Jesus saying? Jesus was saying he was God. What was the reaction? Verse 59, so they picked up stones to throw at Him, but Jesus hid Himself and went out of the temple. 1513s
Jesus identifies Himself as God and the reaction. We are going to kill you. We are going to kill you for that. 1532s
What do we understand here, then, in this portion of Scripture, we understand that God, the great I am, God does not change. 1545s
He does not change. Secondly, second aspect that I want to highlight, not only that there is no change in God, but also that He is faithful to His promises. 1565s
Let's go now back to Exodus, please, Genesis and Exodus. Exodus the sixth chapter, and we will pick up in verse 1. Exodus chapter 6, verse 1. 1587s
Then the Lord said to Moses, now you shall see what I will do to Pharaoh, indeed, by a mighty hand, He will let them go, by a mighty hand, He will drive them out of His land. 1605s
God also spoke to Moses and said to him, I am the Lord. I appear to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob as God Almighty, but by my name the Lord. 1622s
I did not make myself known to them. I also established my covenant with them to give them the land of Kena, the land in which they resided as aliens. 1634s
I have also heard the groaning of the Israelites, whom the Egyptians are holding as slaves, and I have remembered my covenant. 1646s
Say therefore to the Israelites, I am the Lord, and I will free you from the burdens of the Egyptians and deliver you from slavery to them. 1658s
I will redeem you with an outstretched arm and with mighty acts of judgment. I will take you as my people, and I will be your God. 1669s
You shall know that I am the Lord your God who is freed you from the burden of the Egyptians. 1683s
I will bring you into the land that I swore to give to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. I will give it to you for a possession. 1690s
I am the Lord, and by the way, all caps, right? Capital L, capital O, capital R, and capital D. 1698s
God is faithful to His promises, faithful to His covenant. God had made these people, and God would not let them go. 1712s
He would be faithful to them. Out of this line of people, He eventually comes to Messiah, the Lord Jesus Christ. 1723s
There is no change in God. God is faithful. It is who He is. His very name bears that truth. 1733s
God cannot go back on His promise. For if God goes back on His promise, then God changes. 1747s
Then God is not faithful. If God equivocates on one of His promises, then God is not. God. The great I am does not change. 1762s
The great I am is absolutely faithful. And the third point that I want to share with you in terms of the identity of God. 1777s
Not only there is no change in God, not only does His name reveal that He is faithful, but also that He freely gives His grace. 1789s
It is who He is. Let's look now, please, at Exodus chapter 34. 1805s
Exodus chapter 34 will pick up in verse 4. 1814s
So Moses cut two tablets of stone like the former ones, and he rose early in the morning, and went up on Mount Sinai. 1824s
As the Lord had commanded him, and took in his hand the two tablets of stone. The Lord descended in the cloud, and stood with Him there, and proclaimed the name the Lord. 1833s
The Lord passed before Him and proclaimed. The Lord, the Lord, a God merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness, keeping steadfast love for the thousandth generation, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin. 1848s
Yet by no means clearing the guilty, but visiting the iniquity of the parents upon the children and the children's children to the third and the fourth generation. 1875s
Notice how God describes Himself. Merciful, gracious, slow to anger, abounding in steadfast love, faithful, keeping steadfast love for the thousandth generation, forgiving iniquity and sin. 1890s
And transgressions. This is a God who freely bestows His grace. The Lord here reveals His glory. He explains the very meaning of His name, Lord, capital L, capital O, capital R, capital D. 1904s
He's faithful to His covenant, and He showers grace upon His people. 1929s
Take a look with me, please, at Isaiah, the 40th chapter, a good way to find Isaiah in the Old Testament is just open up to the book of Psalms that will land you someplace in the middle of the Bible. 1941s
Psalms, Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, Song of Solomon, and then you wind up in Isaiah. Isaiah, chapter 40, picking up in verse 27. 1955s
There we read, why do you say, O Jacob, and speak, O Israel? My way is hidden from the Lord, and my right is disregarded by my God. 1968s
Have you not known? Have you not heard the Lord is the everlasting God? The creator of the ends of the earth, He does not faint or grow weary. His understanding is unsurczable. 1981s
He gives power to the faint and strengthens the powerless. Even youths will faint and be weary, and the young will fall exhausted. 1994s
But those who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength. They shall mount up with wings like eagles. They shall run and not be weary. 2007s
They shall walk and not be faint. Or Isaiah, chapter 41, please, picking up in verse 8. 2017s
But you, Israel, my servant, Jacob, whom I've chosen, the offspring of Abraham, my friend, you whom I took from the ends of the earth and called from its farthest corners, saying to you, you are my servant. 2029s
I have chosen you and not cast you off. Do not fear, for I am with you. Do not be afraid, for I am your God. 2044s
I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my victorious right hand. 2059s
Indeed, He does not change. Indeed, He is faithful to His promises. Indeed, He freely bestows grace. 2069s
He is the very name of God, communicates who He is as we study the Scriptures. 2087s
Martin Luther once said, he said something to the effect of when times are good, when times are good, don't get too comfortable, because the difficulties will come. 2101s
And when you are going through the difficult times, don't despair, because the Lord will send the relief of the good times. 2117s
What a powerful thought that is rooted in God's Word. When times are good, don't get too comfortable, difficulties will come. 2128s
And when difficulties come, don't despair, because God will send the times that are good. 2140s
This is a difficult time that we live in. This is a time in which one could be tempted to despair. 2153s
This is a time in which we wonder what will tomorrow bring. This is a time in which we wonder, when can we just get back to the normal, these are the difficult times. 2165s
But do not despair. Foramids the difficult times. God will bring good. 2185s
He lifts our eyes unto Him, and He asks us. 2197s
What is my name again? What does that mean? What have I told you in the Scriptures? 2205s
He lifts our eyes to Him, and with eyes lifted to Him we gaze upon His loveliness and His beauty. 2216s
We gaze upon His promises. With eyes lifted unto Him we rest in His name. 2229s
The Lord, capital L, capital L, capital R, capital D. 2242s
The Lord, be with you this week. We will continue next Sunday. 2254s