Open your Bibles to Genesis chapter 1 and meet me at verse 1, the book of beginnings. Genesis chapter 1 and meet me at verse 1 and read this with me. You ready? Ready? Read. In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth. Now, notice that in the beginning, before anything ever happened, God created the heavens and the earth. We're starting a new series that's going to last throughout the summer. And we're going to be talking about the names of God.
And the purpose for this summer series is to reveal his nature and his character, to deepen our relationship with him, and to guide our prayer life and worship experience. And so as we go throughout this series, and Jeannie's going to help preach some of the names of God as we go throughout this series, the goal is for you to draw closer to him, to be able to have different sort of encounters and experiences with him as you understand his name and his nature.
And so Genesis 1-1 tells us in the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth. God is referred to by a lot of names. I mean, we're not going to go through all of them. But today we're going to talk about the name of Elohim, because in the beginning, Elohim, which is the Hebrew word for God in this passage of scripture, created the heavens and the earth. Now let's take me, for example. There are a lot of names that I go by. Obviously, my name is Devon.
Mostly everybody knows me as Devon. Some people call me Pastor. Some people call me Pastor Devon. Some people call me Pastor Alexander. Some call me Pastor D. Some people call me Daddy. A couple of people call me dad, and then some of my good friends call me Devo, right? These are names that I get called and I go by, and depending on what type of relationship you have with me is the name you're going to use. And then there are different attributes or titles that I carry,
different characteristics like husband. I'm a husband of one, amen. I'm a father. I'm a pastor. I'm a son. I'm a brother. I'm a friend. Some people know me as their boss. I'm a mentor and I'm an advisor. And so not only do I carry different names, but I carry different titles and I carry different attributes. And God is the same way. Matter of fact, he is the original one that carries different names,
different titles and different attributes. And today we're going to talk about his name, Elohim. Say Elohim. Elohim. Elohim is God. Now, it's the Hebrew name for God. In this series, Jeannie and I are not going to do an exhaustive college sort of course, okay, on these names because they are very descriptive. We're going to take the opportunity with the name of God, and we're going to describe to you what we want you to see regarding this name and how it can apply to your life.
My goal as we go through this series is for you to begin to not only say God, God, God, God, God all the time when you pray, but you'll begin to call him some different names. Maybe in your pro-life, you'll say Jehovah Jireh, or you'll say El Shaddai, or Jehovah Rafa, or El Elyon, or Elohim. And we find here that Elohim is the very first name used for God in the Bible. And any time in scripture, for the most part, you see the name God, it is really the name Elohim.
Now, there are a few times you see the name God in the old covenant where the name is El, which is the true God.
But in this series or in this message today, we're going to talk about Elohim, which is the supreme judge, the ruler of all, the all powerful and the all knowing, the sustainer the covenant keeper and the creator of everything somebody say Elohim Jeremiah 32 and 27 Jeremiah 32 and 27 says I am the Lord now the Lord here is the word Jehovah we'll get into that later I am the Lord I am Jehovah is I am I am the Lord the God this is Elohim of all the peoples of the world,
watch this, is anything too hard for me? So Elohim has limitless power, and he operates with mighty power. Somebody say mighty. Deuteronomy 4, 7. Deuteronomy 4, 7. For what great nation is there that has Elohim so near to it? As the Lord our Elohim is to us, for whatever reason we may call upon him. Glory to God. So you have access to the great and mighty and supreme power of Elohim. Not only is he the sustainer, he's also the covenant keeper and he's the creator
of everything. Somebody say Elohim. Psalms 46.1. Psalm 46.1. Elohim is our refuge and strength. a very present help in time of trouble. When you're in trouble, when you're scared, when there's difficulty occurring, when you are in chaos, Elohim is a very present help in the time of trouble. He is the judge. He is the ruler. He is all-powerful. He's all-knowing. He's the sustainer. He's the covenant keeper, and he's the creator of everything. Somebody shout Elohim. Elohim. Psalm 5110. Psalm 5110.
Create in me a clean heart, O Elohim. And renew a steadfast spirit within me. Notice Elohim is the creator. And Elohim will create within you a clean heart. He is the original, eternal, creative creator of everything. And he has the ability to create within you a clean heart. Somebody say Elohim. He fearfully and wonderfully created you. He created you on purpose, with a purpose, provides you with power, and he sustains you with love. This is Elohim that we're talking about.
Now, in Hebrews 11.3, Hebrews 11.3, By faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the word of Elohim. Now, notice this is in the Greek. Now, the New Testament is written primarily in the Greek. The Old Testament in the Hebrew, the Old Testament name for God is Elohim. The New Testament is actually feels, but it's still Elohim, just different languages. Does that make sense?
So this is still Elohim we're talking about, who framed the world by his word so that the things which are seen were not made of things which are visible. So the great creator, Elohim, framed the world by his words. Now, if we look at Genesis chapter 1, it won't be on the screen, but I want you to follow me here. In verse 3, we know this in Genesis chapter 1, it says, Then Elohim said. In verse 6, then Elohim said. In verse 9, then Elohim said. In verse 10 or 11, then Elohim said.
In verse 14, then Elohim said. In verse 20, then Elohim said. In verse 24, then Elohim said. In verse 26, then Elohim said. In verse 28, then Elohim said. In verse 29, then Elohim said. And then in verse 31, then Elohim saw everything that he had made. How did Elohim make things? He said it. He created it with his mouth. Elohim is powerful enough to create by speaking. Right?
Elohim is the creator, the creator of everything and everything that has been formed has been made through the words of his mouth. There is that he is Elohim or El that he cannot lie. If he says it, it's going to come to pass. If he said, let there be a three headed dog. Guess what will happen? a three-headed dog would appear because Elohim is the creator of everything and his words is what creates everything that we see.
He's the God who creates and he's always active, present, and full of creative power. Whenever God created, he spoke first and then manifested his power. So it matters how you see Elohim. This is why God, this is my opinion. I'll let you know when I'm speaking truth in my opinion. This is my opinion. People say all the time, well, God's always speaking. He's always talking. God's always talking. You're just not listening. I don't think God's always talking.
I don't think he's a motor mouth. I don't think he's running off at the mouth all the time. I don't picture God doing it. God is very precious. And very intentional about what he's saying. And if you're not listening to what he's saying, he's not going to keep talking to you. Elohim is going to speak and things are going to happen and he's not always talking. So you have to put yourself in position to hear what Elohim will say to you.
Now through his word he spoke and we can hear his word and begin to see what he's already said. But when we're looking at the rhema word of God, which is the spoken word of Elohim, then we got to put ourself in position to hear what he's saying. And we got to understand that when we are creating or when Elohim is creating, he's using words. Now, we like to use words to communicate. But the purpose of words were not just to communicate.
The purpose of words were to create. See, we are created, and I'll talk about this in a few, but we are created in the image of God. God is a speaking spirit. Elohim speaks. He speaks so that he can create. And then he gave us the ability to do the same. So to create means he's going to bring something into existence that did not previously exist. To create means that he is building something with intention. Elohim brings order from chaos and stability to disorganized seasons of your life.
If there's one thing I wanted you to get from this message today is if there is chaos and disorganization, call on the name of Elohim. He will bring order to the chaos going on in your life. If you've got pressure, if you've got stress, if you've got dates and timelines, if you've got aggravation, call on Elohim. Elohim will bring order to disorganization. Elohim will settle you down when you begin to call on Elohim because he's the great, mighty, powerful, eternal creator. Somebody say amen.
Amen. Elohim is more than able to see you through any difficulty. Now, let's jump to verse 26 in Genesis 1, and I'll talk about this for a second. Genesis 1, 26. Then Elohim said, let us make man in our image according to our likeness. Let them, somebody say, let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, over the cattle, over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth. Let's keep out here for a second.
Notice the scripture says, let Elohim said, or Elohim said, let us make man in our image. El is the name of God, the true name of God. El is singular, the one true God. And we'll get into El later on. Elohim is plural. It's not three gods it's one God functioning in three different ways God the Father God the Son and God the Holy Spirit they are one so it's not three gods one perfect God functioning in three different capacities. But here's the thing. They are not the same, but they are one.
Now, I'm going to get deep with you here because a lot of times people try to make it seem like, well, how did God play to Jesus if they're one? Because they're functioning different. They don't think different. They're one. Perfect oneness. But not saneness. Are you listening to me? Stacey and I, this is a loose example, okay? Stacey and I are one, right? We're married, two became one. But we're not the same. But we're one.
God, in the capacity that he has, can function in three different ways and think the exact same way and be one, all in the same. Does that make sense? So because he is one, Elohim is plural. So when Elohim speaks, he's speaking as all three functions. God, the Father, God, the Son, God, the Holy Spirit, all functioning three different ways, but one perfect oneness. Jesus prayed, let us be one with him as well. Follow me on this.
And so he says, let us. People get concerned, well, what does it mean, let us? Because he's Elohim, God the Father, God the Son, God the Holy Spirit. Let us make man, man is not the, follow me, it's not simply the male and female necessarily. Man is the spirit. Let's create the spirit of man and place the spirit of man inside of a male. Place the spirit of man inside of a female, only two genders by the way.
And you put the spirit of man in the male, the spirit of man in the female, they work together and they can work together as one. One spirit. He said, let us make man in our image. God's not flesh. God, God, listen to this. God's not male. He's man. This is why people, well, I feel like I'm a man stuck in a woman's body. No, no. You're a spirit. You're a spirit strategically placed in the body as God saw fit. Here's what I found. Well, I didn't ask you, Siri.
God, and the default function of spirits are masculine, I didn't mean to go that deep but follow me he is well there's I've heard people say the Holy Spirit is a she no No, the Holy Spirit is the spirit, the spirit of God. And the default is he, he, he will. Well, there's God is my mother. No, God is a father. We'll talk about that on Father's Day.
The default function is he, but he put the spirit, default he inside of the male, inside of the female, and then he said, let the spirit be in our image. So he put his spirit inside of us and said, now you are like me. Now, here's the part. There's not a lot of ways that we're like God. Just be honest. there are not a lot of ways we're like God there are a few but there's one critical way that we are like God especially the born again believer we can speak.
Nothing else can speak. And how many know what speaking does? Creates. Your words have the ability to create just like God's word creates. So when he said, let us make man in our image. Give them the ability to speak like we in oneness speak. And when they speak, they'll be able to create just like our oneness can create. And notice the next part, let them, he says, after we created them in our image, in our likeness, in our resemblance, just like us, a duplicate copy,
of who we are. We're speaking spirits. We want humanity. Nothing else is talking, but you and I, and we want humanity to be able to speak so that can create. The very next two words he says is let them have dominion. Over what? Not over each other. Notice, not over each other. Man's not supposed to have, a male is not supposed to have dominion over a female.
A female is not supposed to have dominion over a male. No, we're not supposed to have dominion of each other, we're supposed to have dominion over the earth. So people wonder, why is the earth in the place that it's in? Because God gave dominion of the earth to humanity. This is the big argument that I hear a lot. Well, if there's such a good God, then why is the earth in the condition that it's in? Because he transferred and delegated Elohim, dominion of the earth to humanity.
And now we have put the earth in the position that it's in, and we've done it through our decision-making and our creative mechanism. are speaking. So you can change your world by changing the way you speak. You can change your sphere of influence by changing the way you speak. 1 John 5, 7, it may not be on the screen, but it says, for there are three that bear witness in heaven, the Father, the Word, and the Holy Spirit, and these three are one. They're one. So Elohim is a creator.
Words are not just for communication, but for creation. And so when we call on the name of Elohim, we're calling on the eternal creator. What do you need in your life that needs changing and rearranging? You call on the name of Elohim. Elohim, I'm in the midst of this chaos. The great, mighty Elohim, come on the scene and change and rearrange this thing. Elohim, we beseech thee, come and reorganize what's going on in my body, what's going on in my family, what's going on in my life.
You call on the name of Elohim and he will begin through words, create. And then he will give you things to say let's go to mark chapter 11 real quick we'll look at verse 12 through 14 mark chapter 11 12 through 14. Now the next day, when they had come out from Bethany, he, Jesus, was hungry. And seeing from afar off a fig tree having leaves, he, Jesus, went to see if perhaps he wouldn't find something on it. When he came to it, he found nothing but leaves, for it was not the season for figs.
Verse 14, in response, I think the fig tree said something to him. He responded. it. In response, Jesus said to it, let no one eat fruit from you ever again. And his disciples heard it. Now you might just say, pastor, we're talking about the feed tree spoke to him. How many times your bank account spoke to you? How many, I remember I used to drive when I first got going and you know, you're buying cash cars, like real cheap cash cars. And the cars used to tell me, we're not starting today.
It would tell me we're not, and I'm cranking, cranking. We're not going to start today. And I would have to talk. Yes, we are. We're going to start today. Items and things subconsciously will begin to talk to you. I believe this fig tree spoke to Jesus and said, in response, he spoke to the fig tree, said, let no one eat fruit from you ever again. What is he saying? He used his words. In this situation, he uses words to curse. Now let's pick up in verse 20.
I love this. He says, now in the morning, less than 12 hours, as they passed by, they saw the fig tree dried up from the roots. And Peter, remembering, said to him, Rabbi, look, the fig tree which you cursed. How did he curse it? With his words, has withered away. Jesus answered and said to him, have faith in God. Say those four words. Have faith in God.
All right, now watch this. For surely I say to you, whoever says to this mountain, be removed and be cast into the sea and does not doubt in his heart, but believes that those things he says will be done, he will have whatever he says. Now I want to spend some time here because a couple things I want you to notice. Number one, I want you to notice the power of your words. Jesus used his words, Elohim.
You know, Jesus is Elohim, used his words, spoke to the fig tree that was supposed to have figs on it, cursed it, said, let no one eat fruit from you ever again, and it dried up from the roots. Literally, the tree is laying down, the roots are now within 12 hours, you know, less than 24 hours, the tree is upside down, roots hanging upside down. That's how powerful his words were. But notice instantly nothing happened.
When he spoke to it, he kept walking. Nothing happened except it was happening underneath the surface first. Your words work in the invisible realm before you see them working in the physical realm. When you say something, this is why it's powerful. This is why people, this is why preaching is so powerful. This is why commending the blessing is so powerful because things are working in the invisible realm first before you see the manifestation of it. He spoke to that tree.
Something is working underneath that surface because we know this 12 hours later, the trees upside down. I use this illustration all the time. We have two stories in our home. I'll call one of my kids if I'm downstairs. Zarek Jay, come down. I don't see Zarek Jay. He's upstairs. I don't see him. I call him and 45 seconds, a minute later, here he comes downstairs. Why? My words cause movement to take place. And whether you see it or not, it's working.
And this is why you got to be very, very astute to not use your words to hurt, harm, and to curse. There was one particular time I saw this restaurant. It was tucked back somewhere in the corner. And I drove by and I said, there ain't no way that restaurant going to ever get any business being in that location. And the Lord arrested me as I drove by. He said, why did you curse that restaurant? I said, forgive me. My words curse that restaurant.
And what you don't understand, well, I'm just talking. No, you're cursing or you're creating all at the same time. And so here you are trying to figure out what's going to take place. And, oh, I ain't never going to, that ain't never going to happen. That ain't never going to happen. I just, man, I want this to happen, but it's never going to happen. You're starting to create something never happening. But when you start using your words to create, man, that money is going to come in.
My back is healed in the name of Jesus. I resist these symptoms in Jesus' name. My husband is coming in the name of whatever it might. You call him in, use your words, and underneath the surface, things are moving. But what's happening is the enemy is trying to get you to stop talking. There was one particular time I told the Lord, I was like, Lord, whatever I was believing for, I said, what's taking so long? And he said to me, you're not in faith about it. And I was like,
no, I am in faith about it. I believe that this could take place. He said, no, you're not. I said, yes, I am. He said, no, you're not. You're not in faith about it. I was like, my goodness, it's on the inside of me. And finally, I said, well, let me be quiet and listen and see what Elohim will say to me. I said, Elohim, reveal to me what's going on. He said, you stop talking about it. You stop talking about it. And once you stop talking about it, you stop being in faith about it.
And you can say all day long, I believe, but you're not creating. And Elohim wants to create. And he's in you and I, if you're born again, with the Holy Spirit, creating. Using your mouth to create, not what you already see, but what you desire to see. Somebody say amen. And so we notice that he said, have faith in God. And he said, for surely I say to you, whatsoever things, watch this, whoever says to this mountain.
So he's talking about a literal mountain here. Be removed and be cast into the sea. Does not doubt in his heart, but believes those things he says will be done. He will have whatever he says. What I want you to notice in this verse is that Jesus, Elohim, mentions to us three times that we have to say something. And only one time did he mention believing it. So I believe we've been spending more time trying to believe it and less time saying it. I believe we need to spend more time saying it.
And the more you say, the more you're going to believe it. This is what get liars in trouble. They say the lie over and over and over and then they start believing a lie and they don't even know what the truth is anymore. They just believe the lie because they've been lying for so much. We're going to have to begin to say it and this is how we're created in the image of Elohim. He's a speaking, creating spirit And when he speaks, the whole universe changes.
But because he lives on the inside of us, when we speak, we can change our sphere of influence. And so stop seeing or saying what you see and start saying what you desire to see. This is so critical because when we call on the name of Elohim, he's going to change and rearrange things. And he's going to tell you and give you words to say because you have creative power as well. A lot of times I hear some new songs.
Oh, if we can get God to say it. Oh, if we can get God to say it. God, you can speak to it. God, you can talk to the mountain. God, you can talk to the fig tree. God's telling us, it's time for you to talk to it. That's right. Amen. Come on. Yes, he can, but he told you. Put that verse back on the screen if you don't mind, I think it's verse 23. He says, I say to you. Get me to talk to the mountain and it'll be removed. That's not what he said. He said, whoever, are you a whoever?
Whoever will speak, it will be done. He will have what he says. And I think religion, and I hear a lot of these Christian songs, these new ones, God, you can talk, God, if we can get you to talk to it, God, God, you do it, God, you do it. You talk, God's like, I gave you the power to do it. You're just a chip off the old block. Right? If he's the father of your sons and daughters, you can act like me. You talk to the mountain.
You speak to it. And the same creative power is on the inside of you as well. Amen. I want you to understand the power of your words today. Death and life are in the power of your tongue. It is the way and it is synonymous. Maybe not on the same degree because God is the God of Elohim, is the God of the universe, but in your sphere of influence, when you speak, things are changing and rearranging. And you have to know that you were created in his image to create with your mouth.
It is important, crucial, of significance as to what you're saying about yourself. What's coming out of your mouth? Because you are creating what you want to see. And people unintentionally are creating a devastating future. Oh, when I get older, you know, they say when you get older, all this pain going to just attack your body. As you get older, I hate getting older because I'm just in a lot of pain. And then you start getting, and that's what you're going to start.
You're creating your future. Which are he Hebrew says that his words framed the world's your words can frame your world and so it is vitally important that we begin to say what God says say what Elohim says he is the mighty powerful eternal creative creator and he uses words to do it. If you want change and significance in your life, you're going to have to get a word from Elohim in this Bible, and you're going to have to put it in your mouth as well.
Come into agreement with the word that he's already spoken. I'm fearfully and wonderfully made. Amen. He loves me. I'm a masterpiece. Not because of you But because of what he said About you Amen Did y'all get something out of the message today This is how you experience True life Glory to God.