Understanding the Name Adonai - The Names of God (Part 3) | Pastor Roger Pettay

The names of God reveal his character, his relationship with his people, and his sufficiency in the middle of real problems. Elohim shows the strong Creator, the God who made the heavens and the earth. Yahweh shows the personal covenant God, the self-existing One who keeps his word. Adonai shows the sovereign King, the Master, the Ruler, the One with all authority and all responsibility.

Adonai means that God has the right to govern and direct, but it also means that God takes responsibility to protect, provide, and care for those under his rule. Human authority has often been abusive and broken, but God must not be judged by failed fathers, failed kings, or failed masters. Scripture projects God’s goodness into human life, not human brokenness back onto God. The perfect King never uses authority to crush his people, but to rule them in righteousness and care for them faithfully.

Genesis 15 shows Adonai appearing first in a moment of waiting and unanswered questions. Abraham had received a promise, but a decade had passed and he still had no child. Abraham says, “Adonai Yahweh, what will you give me?” Faith does not pretend there are no doubts. Faith brings the question to the Master and trusts him when the circumstances make no sense.

Moses calls on Adonai in insecurity. Gideon calls on Adonai in fear. Jeremiah calls on Adonai in weakness. Isaiah sees Adonai high and lifted up, seated on the throne, and answers, “Here I am, send me.” In each case, the point is not personal comfort alone, but the mission and purpose of God. God strengthens fearful, weak, inadequate people when his command rests on them and his presence goes with them.

Jesus is revealed in the New Testament as Lord, Kyrios, the true Adonai. Jesus asks, “Why do you call me Lord, Lord, and do not do what I tell you?” Belief and doing cannot be divorced. Philippians 2 declares that every knee will bow and every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, applying to Jesus the glory that Yahweh claims in Isaiah. If Jesus is Lord, then the body, finances, time, future, past, marriage, home, and whole life belong to him.

The call to lordship is not a burden but a rescue. Sin is a cruel master, and Jesus is gentle and lowly in heart. Every person will worship something, whether God, money, addiction, pleasure, or self. Adonai calls for the knee to bow, the hand to rise in allegiance, and the whole life to say, “Jesus is Lord.”

##

---

Key Takeaways

• 1. Adonai rules and cares deeply Adonai does not name a cold ruler who issues commands from a distance. The name holds authority and responsibility together, so the King who directs also protects, provides, and cares. God’s rule is not like broken human authority because his sovereignty is married to goodness. [36:53]
• 2. Faith brings honest questions upward Abraham’s first use of Adonai comes while the promise still looks unfulfilled. Faith is not pretending that waiting does not hurt, and it is not acting like confusion is unbelief. Faith comes to the Master and says, “What will you give me?” while still standing under his authority. [43:35]
• 3. God’s presence answers human weakness Moses says he cannot speak, Gideon says he is the least, and Jeremiah says he is too young. Adonai does not build his mission on human confidence, status, or natural ability. God’s answer is his presence, his word, and his power making up the difference. [56:08]
• 4. Jesus cannot be Savior only Jesus asks why anyone would call him Lord and then refuse his commands. The confession “Jesus is Lord” is not polite religious language, but allegiance to the King of the universe. True belief shows itself in obedience because the life reveals what the mouth really means. [66:49]
• 5. Every life serves a master The heart will bow to something, even if that something is money, addiction, success, or comfort. Jesus exposes false masters as cruel taskmasters that control and destroy. Adonai calls for full allegiance because God will not share his people with idols that ruin them.
  
  ## [78:10]

Youtube Chapters

• [00:00] - Welcome
• [25:13] - Why God’s Names Matter
• [28:23] - Elohim, Yahweh, and Adonai
• [33:40] - God as the Perfect King
• [36:53] - Authority and Responsibility Together
• [40:10] - Abraham’s Waiting and Adonai
• [46:19] - Moses, Insecurity, and the Master
• [52:00] - Gideon’s Fear and God’s Presence
• [56:54] - Jeremiah’s Weakness and Calling
• [59:49] - Isaiah Sees Adonai Enthroned
• [66:09] - Jesus Is Adonai
• [70:55] - Everything Belongs to the King
• [77:42] - Every Person Worships Something
• [81:54] - Two Masters Cannot Rule
• [85:14] - Allegiance to Yahweh Adonai

Bible Reading

Genesis 15:2
“But Abram said, ‘O Lord GOD, what will you give me, for I continue childless, and the heir of my house is Eliezer of Damascus?’” [40:10]

Exodus 4:10
“But Moses said to the LORD, ‘Oh, my Lord, I am not eloquent, either in the past or since you have spoken to your servant, but I am slow of speech and of tongue.’” [46:19]

Judges 6:15
“And he said to him, ‘Please, Lord, how can I save Israel? Behold, my clan is the weakest in Manasseh, and I am the least in my father’s house.’” [52:00]

Jeremiah 1:6
“Then I said, ‘Ah, Lord GOD! Behold, I do not know how to speak, for I am only a youth.’” [56:54]

Isaiah 6:1, 8
“In the year that King Uzziah died I saw the Lord sitting upon a throne, high and lifted up; and the train of his robe filled the temple. And I heard the voice of the Lord saying, ‘Whom shall I send, and who will go for us?’ Then I said, ‘Here I am! Send me.’” [59:49]

Luke 6:46
“Why do you call me ‘Lord, Lord,’ and not do what I tell you?” [01:06:09]

Philippians 2:9-11
“Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.”

Observation questions

1. In Genesis 15:2, what is Abram still waiting for, and how does he bring that unmet desire to the Lord? [43:35]
2. Looking at Moses, Gideon, and Jeremiah, what reasons does each one give for feeling unqualified for what God is calling him to do? [56:08]
3. In Isaiah 6, what does Isaiah see about the Lord before he says, “Here I am! Send me”? [59:49]
4. In Luke 6:46, what contrast does Jesus draw between what people call him and what they actually do? [01:06:49]

Interpretation questions

1. Abram calls God “Lord GOD” while asking a painful question. What does that suggest about the difference between honest faith and unbelief during a long season of waiting? [43:35]
2. Adonai speaks of both authority and responsibility. How does that help correct the way people may view God if they have only known broken or abusive human authority? [36:53]
3. Moses, Gideon, and Jeremiah all focus on their weakness, yet God still calls them. What does that show about how God usually works through people in his mission? [56:08]
4. Philippians 2 says every knee will bow and every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord. How does that deepen the meaning of Jesus’ words in Luke 6:46 about calling him “Lord”? [01:06:09]

Application questions

1. Where is there an Abram-like question in life right now—something promised, hoped for, or prayed for that still feels delayed? What would it look like to bring that question honestly to the Lord without stepping out from under his rule? [40:10]
2. Which weakness feels most present right now: insecurity like Moses, fear like Gideon, or inadequacy like Jeremiah? How might obedience look in that exact place instead of waiting to feel stronger first? [56:54]
3. Human authority can leave deep wounds. Is there any way that past hurt has made it hard to trust God’s authority as good? What would it mean to begin separating God’s perfect rule from the failures of people? [33:40]
4. Jesus asks why anyone would call him Lord and not do what he says. Is there one area of life where the mouth says “Lord,” but the habits say something else—time, money, relationships, sexuality, work, or something hidden? [01:06:09]
5. Every life serves a master. What tends to compete most strongly for the heart’s allegiance right now—comfort, approval, success, control, pleasure, money, or self? How can that false master be recognized in everyday choices? [01:18:10]
6. Isaiah saw the Lord high and lifted up, and that vision led to willing surrender. What helps the heart freshly see the greatness of God so that obedience becomes glad surrender instead of bare duty? [59:49]
7. Saying “Jesus is Lord” means the whole life belongs to him. What is one practical way to place a specific part of life under his lordship this week? [01:10:55]