Yahweh Shalom
The Names of God • Sermon • Submitted • Presented • 22:54
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· 211 viewsGod is Yahweh Shalom. God is our peace.
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Let’s read our theme verse together.
17 For the Lord your God is the God of gods and Lord of lords, the great, mighty, and awe-inspiring God, showing no partiality and taking no bribe.
Let’s take a moment to review the names of God that we have looked at so far.
God is...
Elohim - He is the Mighty Creator God.
Elohim - He is the Mighty Creator God.
El Roi - He is the God who sees me.
El Roi - He is the God who sees me.
El Shaddai - He is the Almighty God.
El Shaddai - He is the Almighty God.
El Elyon - He is God Most High.
El Elyon - He is God Most High.
Yahweh Jireh - God will see to it. God will provide.
Yahweh Jireh - God will see to it. God will provide.
Yahweh Nissi - God is my banner
Yahweh Nissi - God is my banner
There is an old Christmas carol written by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow in 1863. The American Civil War was being waged. Brothers were fighting against brothers. Our nation was being ripped apart at the seams. Longfellow’s poem was not a feel-good song but one born in grief. Longfellow’s wife had died in a fire in 1860. And on December 1, 1863, the widower received the news that his eldest son, 19-year-old Charley, had been nearly paralyzed by a gunshot wound fighting for the Union in the Civil War. He wrote:
I heard the bells on Christmas Day
Their old, familiar carols play,
and wild and sweetThe words repeat
and wild and sweetThe words repeat
and wild and sweet the words repeat
Of peace on earth, good-will to men!
And then, in another verse, he wrote:
And in despair I bowed my head;
“There is no peace on earth,” I said;
“For hate is strong, And mocks the song
Of peace on earth, good-will to men!”
How can we have peace when everything around us feels like it is broken and falling apart? I know for many people, life is hard right now. Some of you have had things happen to you that you didn’t plan to have happen. Some of you have health issues and surgeries pending. Financially, a lot of people are stressed out. Some of you have family issues, marital issues, or parenting issues.
School just started back and you already can’t wait for it to be over. Everything is demanding. Nothing is easy. Everything feels like a problem. It is like every button on your dashboard is going off at once. Have you been there? Are you there right now?
The reality is that our hearts long for peace. We want peace in our lives. Here is a question. Are you looking for peace from the right source?
The people of Israel wanted peace. In , they were living in a time when they were being greatly oppressed by the Midianites. The people of Israel were hiding in the mountains, caves, and strongholds. The Midianites would steal their harvests and destroy what they didn’t take. They had their livestock taken as well. All of this had happened because the Israelites didn’t obey God.
Please don’t make the mistake of thinking that every hardship you are facing is because you are living in disobedience to God. Some hardships are caused because of things we have done, but some hardships we face are outside of our control. In the case of Israel, their hardships were caused by their own stubbornness and disobedience to God as a nation.
However, God is a gracious God and he does for us what we cannot do for ourselves. Open your Bibles to . In , the angel of Yahweh, most likely a pre-incarnation of Jesus, appeared to a man named Gideon. Gideon was hiding in a winepress threshing wheat.
12 Then the angel of the Lord appeared to him and said: “The Lord is with you, valiant warrior.”
Judges 6:
I am amused by how the angel of Yahweh addressed Gideon. He called him a valiant warrior, but as far as we know, Gideon was not a warrior. He was hiding, not fighting. Look at how Gideon responded to the angel of the Lord.
13 Gideon said to him, “Please, my lord, if the Lord is with us, why has all this happened? And where are all his wonders that our fathers told us about? They said, ‘Hasn’t the Lord brought us out of Egypt?’ But now the Lord has abandoned us and handed us over to Midian.”
Judges 6:13-
Gideon blames God for the situation. His knowledge of God is faulty. He treats God as if God exists to serve Israel. He knows nothing of Israel’s responsibility to worship God and serve him alone.
Don’t we do the same thing? Sometimes our problems are because of choices we have made. In anger, we blame God for the things happening to us. We treat God as if he is a cosmic genie in a bottle who exists to serve us when the problems have been caused by our disobedience. It is not that God moved away from us, but rather that we have moved away from the place God wants us to be.
The angel of Yahweh ignored Gideon’s blame game and said,
14 The Lord turned to him and said, “Go in the strength you have and deliver Israel from the grasp of Midian. I am sending you!”
Judges
But Gideon was having none of it.
15 He said to him, “Please, Lord, how can I deliver Israel? Look, my family is the weakest in Manasseh, and I am the youngest in my father’s family.”
Gideon tried to get out the call by pointing out his weakness. God was providing the answer to their problems and he didn’t want to do it. I think we tend to do the same. God says to us, “Hey, I made a way for you.” We say, “Yeah, but I can’t do it. I don’t have the strength.” God says, “Hey, I’ve got the solution for your problem.” We say, “Yeah, but I don’t like that solution. Do you have another one?”
Verse 16 is important.
16 “But I will be with you,” the Lord said to him. “You will strike Midian down as if it were one man.”
“But I will be with you.” God knows you can’t, but he can. God knows you are weak, but he is strong. God knows you are barely treading water, but underneath are the everlasting arms. God knows you are full of anxiety and fear, but he cares for you. Don’t worry about it. God will be with you. When you are doing what God wants you to do, he will be with you. God will never call you to something that can’t be done. God will never give you a way out that can’t be taken. God will never call you to do something he can’t do through you.
Gideon didn’t understand who God is.
17 Then he said to him, “If I have found favor with you, give me a sign that you are speaking with me.
Again, we do this. We look for a sign, when God’s word tells us exactly what we need to do. We say, “Well, let me pray about it.” God tells us what to do, but we don’t want to do it. To ask for signs when God has already revealed his will demonstrates an unwillingness to obey.
18 Please do not leave this place until I return to you. Let me bring my gift and set it before you.” And he said, “I will stay until you return.” 19 So Gideon went and prepared a young goat and unleavened bread from a half bushel of flour. He placed the meat in a basket and the broth in a pot. He brought them out and offered them to him under the oak. 20 The angel of God said to him, “Take the meat with the unleavened bread, put it on this stone, and pour the broth on it.” So he did that. 21 The angel of the Lord extended the tip of the staff that was in his hand and touched the meat and the unleavened bread. Fire came up from the rock and consumed the meat and the unleavened bread. Then the angel of the Lord vanished from his sight.
Judges 6:18-
To understand what Gideon is doing, you need to understand the ancient worship of false idols. Gideon, by bringing food to the angel of Yahweh, was trying to obligate God to do what Gideon wanted him to do. He wanted to try to curry favor with this messenger of God by presenting him with a suitable offering. You see, Gideon had no idea who he was talking to.
22 When Gideon realized that he was the angel of the Lord, he said, “Oh no, Lord God! I have seen the angel of the Lord face to face!”
To understand what Gideon is doing, you need to understand the ancient worship of false idols. Gideon, by bringing food to the angel of Yahweh, was trying to obligate God to do what Gideon wanted from God.
I am not going to go into great detail about this part in this message; however, it is important to point out that Gideon had been miseducated by tradition. The common thinking was, “If you see a heavenly messenger, you are doing to die.” The traditions made people superstitious. Our traditions can make us superstitious as well. Some of our traditions misinform us about God’s nature and character. We need to be sure that our understanding of God, what he wants, and what he doesn’t like are based on God’s Word and not traditions.
Then, God spoke to Gideon.
23 But the Lord said to him, “Peace to you. Don’t be afraid, for you will not die.” 24 So Gideon built an altar to the Lord there and called it The Lord Is Peace. It is still in Ophrah of the Abiezrites today.
Judges 6:23-2
God is Yahweh Shalom. God is peace.
Yahweh Shalom - God is peace.
Yahweh Shalom - God is peace.
The Hebrew word “shalom” means more than peace. It is a greeting that is commonly used, even to this day. It means,
Shalom - שָׁלוֹם - peace, prosperity, welfare, state of health, friendliness, deliverance, and salvation
Shalom - שָׁלוֹם - peace, prosperity, welfare, state of health, friendliness, deliverance, and salvation
Shalom is more than just that peaceful, easy feeling you get when you are “sittin’ on the dock of the bay, watching the tide roll away.” It’s a completeness. It’s a wholeness.
Yahweh Shalom makes your life whole.
Yahweh Shalom makes your life whole.
Yahweh Shalom makes your life whole. What does it mean to be made whole? It means that you have been broken. It means your life is not quite right. It means that something is missing. It means there is a hole in your life that needs to be filled.
What does it mean to be made whole? It means you have to be broken.
You have to realize that something about your life is not right, is not
Outside of Yahweh Shalom there is no completeness. Some of you may be broken because you are struggling with anxiety and worry. Listen to what Paul wrote in
6 Don’t worry about anything, but in everything, through prayer and petition with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. 7 And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.
whole. Bring your brokenness to God and he will make you whole.
6 Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. 7 And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
We, as Jesus’ followers, aren’t to be anxious about anything, rather we are to take out requests to God. He is Yahweh Shalom and he gives us peace which transcends all understanding and his peace stands guard over our hearts and minds. When we are not following God and we are trying to do life on our own, we don’t have peace and we are outside of his lordship. It is no wonder we are anxious. But when we present our requests to God and say, “I can’t do this. It is no longer mine. I trust you with it because you are in charge.” God gives us peace. He makes us whole. Also, Yahweh Shalom makes your life sound.
We, as Jesus’ followers, aren’t to be anxious about anything, rather we are to take out requests to God. He is Yahweh Shalom and he gives us peace which transcends all understanding and his peace stands guard over our hearts and minds. When we are not following God and we are trying to do life on our own, we don’t have peace and we are outside of his lordship. It is no wonder we are anxious. But when we present our requests to God and say, “I can’t do this. It is no longer mine. I trust you with it because you are in charge.” God give us peace. He makes us whole.
Yahweh Shalom makes your life sound.
Yahweh Shalom makes your life sound.
Jesus told a story about a man who built his house on sand in . The waves and the winds came. The man’s house fell flat. He lost everything because his foundation for living was no good.
He also spoke about a man who built his house on the rock. The waves and winds came, but the man’s house stood. His foundation for living was sound.
Living according to the truth of God’s Word is like building your life on the rock. Living your life according to any other ways is like building your life on the sand. Our culture is shifting. People are calling evil good and good evil. Don’t build your life on approval from people or what society deems as good. Build your life on the rock, on Yahweh Shalom. When the winds of change come and the waves of problems hit you, you will be able to stand because your life is built on nothing less than Jesus Christ and his righteousness. You are built on Jesus Christ, the solid Rock of Ages.
Not only does God bring his peace to make us whole and sound, but he completes us.
Yahweh Shalom makes your life complete.
Yahweh Shalom makes your life complete.
Look at these words of Jesus is .
5 I am the vine; you are the branches. The one who remains in me and I in him produces much fruit, because you can do nothing without me.
“You can do nothing without Jesus.” Without God, you are incomplete. Only through Jesus can we prosper. If you cut a branch off of a tree, it withers and dies. Likewise, if you have not accepted Jesus as your Savior and Lord, you are incomplete. You will not have lasting peace. You will always feel like something is missing. There will always be a hole in your life that you can’t fill. Some have called this a “God-sized” hole.
Some of you right now, you’re here and you are wondering why you don’t have peace. You are trying to be a good person, but you’re wondering have you been good enough. You think God is like a cosmic Santa Claus who, if you are good enough, will bless you. The reality is you aren’t good enough and can never be good enough on your own. You need Jesus. You need to believe in Jesus. Here is what the Bible says,
13 But now in Christ Jesus, you who were far away have been brought near by the blood of Christ. 14 For he is our peace, who made both groups one and tore down the dividing wall of hostility. In his flesh,
13 But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far away have been brought near by the blood of Christ. 14 For he himself is our peace, who has made the two groups one and has destroyed the barrier, the dividing wall of hostility,
Jesus Christ is our peace. Outside of Jesus, no promises. Inside of him, we can have a peace that passes all understanding. Longfellow knew God is Yahweh Shalom. So he wrote another verse to his poem.
Then pealed the bells more loud and deep:
“God is not dead, nor doth He sleep;
The Wrong shall fail,The Right prevail,
With peace on the earth, good-will to men.”
Do you have the peace that only comes through knowing and trusting in Yahweh Shalom? You’re in the storm because of what you did. You have gotten yourself into massive trouble. Your sin is catching up with you. You may have even tried to change, but you can’t do it. You can’t be good on your own. It is in your very nature. Your nature causes you to rebel against God. Your sin separates you from God. The good news is that God loves you so much that he sent his son Jesus into the world. Jesus, who is God, took on flesh and became the perfect sacrifice for our sins. Jesus is the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world. Jesus died for the forgiveness of your sins. After three days in the grave, Jesus was raised from the dead to prove that everything he claimed was true. The Bible says,
9 If you confess with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. 10 One believes with the heart, resulting in righteousness, and one confesses with the mouth, resulting in salvation.
CSB
When you call on the name of Jesus, he will hear your prayer, forgive you of your sin, and make you new. Will you call on his name this morning and receive the forgiveness he offers?
9 If you confess with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. 10 One believes with the heart, resulting in righteousness, and one confesses with the mouth, resulting in salvation.
When you call on the name of Jesus, he will hear your prayer, forgive you of your sin, and make you new. Will you call on his name this morning and receive the forgiveness he offers. He wants to be your Emmanuel; your “God with Us.” Will you let him in your life and save you?
Please bow your heads and close your eyes. Confess Jesus by praying this prayer with me,
“Heavenly Father, forgive me for my sins, make me new. I ask Jesus to be my Savior and to be the Lord of my life, first in every way. My life is not my own, I give it to you. Thank you for new life. In Jesus’ name, I pray.”
Brothers and sisters, are you anxious this morning? Are you full of worry? God is your Shalom. Will your bring your requests before him this morning? Will you confess your sins? He is faithful and just and will forgive you of your sins and cleanse you from all unrighteous. He will restore peace to you when you humble yourself before him. Recommit your life to following to Yahweh Shalom. Find the peace that he has promised you.
Recommit your life to following to Yahweh Shalom. Find the peace that he has promised you.
Our deacons will be coming forward to pray with you and for you. If you prayed to receive Jesus, please come and let us pray with you and celebrate your new life in Christ. If God is dealing in your heart and life right now, don’t let this moment pass.
As you stand and we sing together.
<after closing the time of invitation>
Perhaps you didn’t come forward for one reason or another, but you really do want to talk with us about what is going on in your life. Perhaps you need help, prayer, or you just want to know more about being a follower of Jesus. I would encourage you to do one of two things. After we are dismissed, just stay where you are. One of our deacons will come and talk with you and pray with you. The other thing you can do is check one of the boxes on the Connection Card. Put it in the offering plate as it passes. We will get in touch with you this week. You see, this church exists to minister to one another. We are here to support you in your walk with God.