Fear No Fear

(All scripture from the World English Bible, ebible.org, all rights reserved)

“God spoke to Moses, and said to him, “I am Yahweh. I appeared to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, as God Almighty; but by my name Yahweh I was not known to them. I have also established my covenant with them, to give them the land of Canaan, the land of their travels, in which they lived as aliens. Moreover I have heard the groaning of the children of Israel, whom the Egyptians keep in bondage, and I have remembered my covenant. Therefore tell the children of Israel, ‘I am Yahweh, and I will bring you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians, and I will rid you out of their bondage, and I will redeem you with an outstretched arm, and with great judgments. I will take you to myself for a people. I will be your God; and you shall know that I am Yahweh your God, who brings you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians. I will bring you into the land which I swore to give to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob; and I will give it to you for a heritage: I am Yahweh.’”“
(Exodus 6:2-8)

“Now from the sixth hour there was darkness over all the land until the ninth hour. About the ninth hour Jesus cried with a loud voice, saying, “Eli, Eli, lima sabachthani?” That is, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” Some of them who stood there, when they heard it, said, “This man is calling Elijah.” Immediately one of them ran and took a sponge, filled it with vinegar, put it on a reed, and gave him a drink. The rest said, “Let him be. Let’s see whether Elijah comes to save him.” Jesus cried again with a loud voice, and yielded up his spirit. Behold, the veil of the temple was torn in two from the top to the bottom. The earth quaked and the rocks were split. The tombs were opened, and many bodies of the saints who had fallen asleep were raised; and coming out of the tombs after his resurrection, they entered into the holy city and appeared to many.”
(Matthew 27:45-53)

God’s names in the Word reveal His character. They reveal His attributes. Each one meaning and showing a different facet to God’s character and quality. He was the God of Abraham, Issac, and Jacob/Israel; but He had not shown Himself as a mighty miracle-working God. He had worked miracles with them (Genesis 26:12, for example), but not earth-shaking wondrous miracles. That was revealed to Moses and the Israelites. Before Egypt, they could not have been known as God’s aspects. Miracles that brought them out of a dark place into a good place. Redeeming their lives. Restoring their fortunes. Becoming their salvation – should they obey and walk in it.

Jesus WAS the miracle. God made flesh, choosing to take on our iniquities and paying for Sin. Becoming the sacrifice in our place. Opening the Way to the Father. Becoming the Holy Place in which we meet God face to face. Enabling us to be brought from the kingdom of darkness to the Kingdom of God. To be redeemed. To be restored. In Jesus, God’s great love for us is revealed. A love we could not know before His sacrifice. A love that demonstrates the CORE of God’s character and His ESSENTIAL quality.

Summary

God’s names reveal His character, but Jesus reveals to us not only God’s character but God Himself. Jesus is the part of God we can embrace (literally). He part we can touch, interact with, and join. He is the visible manifestation of the invisible God. He is love DEMONSTRATED. An intimate experiential revelation, instead of an intellectual one. Through Jesus we EXPERIENCE God in a Way that we cannot any OTHER way. He is THE Way we come to the Father.