Allow Me To Reintroduce Myself // Name Dropping // Dr. Dharius Daniels

And if you were here with us on New Year's Eve, you know that each year our church adopts a theme that's an area of emphasis for us this year, and we try to pray through that. We want it to be prophetic in a sense, and prophetic not just in the sense of interpreting the future, but prophetic in the sense of predicting the future, but prophetic in the sense of interpreting the present. What is God doing now, and what does he want us to do in response to that? And our theme for this year is AI. That stands for All In, everybody. I had somebody tell me, I had somebody tell me earlier that AI was the antichrist. I said, I love Christians, but my gosh. I said, it just means All In, man, that's it. But our theme is All In, and man, we've got resources to help you. We've got a devotional, we've got an All In game plan, and you can go to lifechange.org or our Change Church app to take advantage of that. Well, family, I teach in series. What does that mean? It means I take a book of the Bible, or I take a character in the Bible, or a theme in the Bible, and over a period of several weeks, we expound on what the Bible has to say about that book, character, or theme, and apply it to our everyday life.

I'm starting a series today that's gonna go for seven weeks, and it is called Name Dropping. And so I wanna invite your attention to the book of Exodus, chapter number three, beginning at verse number 13. And I'm reading from the New International Version of the Scriptures, and it reads like this. Moses said to God, suppose I go to the Israelites and say to them, the God of your fathers has sent me to you, and they ask me, what is his name? Then what shall I tell them? God said to Moses, I am who I am. This is what you are to say to the Israelites. I am has sent me to you. I wanna stop the reading of Scripture there, and I wanna tag this title to this text. I want us to think around this thought today. I believe it is a request that our heavenly father wants to make to you and I, and it is simple. Allow me to reintroduce myself. Clap your hands everywhere, on the floor, in the balcony, everywhere. Allow me to reintroduce myself. I wanna leap into this lesson with a question. Have you ever had an experience or an encounter with an individual who thought they knew you, but they didn't? I'm talking about an individual who is engaging in conversation about you, creating narratives

related to you, and maybe having interaction with you like they know you. And what is dangerous about people who are operating with that sort of assumption is they rob themselves of the richness of all that you are. Because many individuals unconsciously limit you to their perception of you, not realizing that there is more to you than what they actually see. And if they were to create the space and become curious and humble enough for you to unveil and expose all that there is on the inside of you for them, they may see that there is a shift that can happen in their life because they had a proper perception of you that led to proper reception from you. And what I've learned is that there are times when there are individuals who are relating to you based off of incorrect information. It means that they failed to do personal investigation. So they came to conclusions about you, not based on their personal interaction, but based on indirect hearsay. So sometimes people are relating to you based on incorrect information. But then there are other times when people are relating to you based on incomplete information. Somebody told them what you did, but they didn't tell them why you did it. And just like, are you here? And just like it's possible to operate with incomplete

or incorrect information as it relates to people, it is also possible to operate with incorrect and incomplete information when it comes to God. I am arguing, family, that there are times not when we're operating just with incomplete, incorrect. information. I'm arguing that there are times when we are operating with incomplete information, and incomplete information about God leads to something I call spiritual settling, because the God you see is the God you get. Your perception determines your reception. Your revelation of God determines how you relate to God. Your revelation of God determines what you receive from God. So if you have a limited view of God, you'll have a limited experience with God. Not because God is limited, but you've limited his unveiling, his exposure, his interaction in your own life. But do I have anybody, it's too early, but do I have anybody in the building today who have made a decision that in 2026, you're getting ready to take the limits of God, and God's gonna take some limits off you. Come on. Is there anybody in the room that says this is not the year for spiritual settling for me? Come on. My adversity is too aggressive, my stress is too strong, my weaknesses are too real, and my ops are too intentional for me to operate with shallow spirituality. I gotta get this thing right this year. I got decisions I need to make that require discernment, I got a weight I got to carry that requires some strength, and I got a race I need to run that requires some stamina. I am not limping into 2027 discouraged, dismayed, and in despair. My Bible says that if I wait on the Lord, he would renew my strength. I'm getting ready to step into 2026 strong, and I'm stepping out of it stronger. If I'm talking to you, make some noise in the building. And the enemy understands this reality, so he doesn't want us to understand God correctly or completely. Did you hear what I just said? He doesn't want us to understand God correctly or completely. And this is why a series like this becomes incredibly important and incredibly significant for those of us who are, watch this, serious about our spiritual journey. Because this series is rooted in a theological concept called progressive revelation. Everybody say progressive. That was weak. Say progressive. Progressive revelation. What does this mean? It means that God progressively reveals different aspects of himself to his people progressively over time.

It means that God is so good, that God is so complex, that God is so major, that God is so magnificent, that God is so magnanimous, that God is so great, that God is so excellent, that God is so excellent, that God is so amazing, that God is so indescribable, that God is so much God that he can't expose all his Godness at one time. So over time, he reveals and exposes different aspects of himself to his people. And for those that are serious about their spiritual journey, you will get to these strategic spots in your spiritual journey where God metaphorically will tap you on the shoulder and say, I know you think you know me, but allow me to reintroduce myself. You know the way maker, but I need to introduce you to the healer. You know the healer, but I need to introduce you to the provider. You know the provider, but I need to introduce you to the protector. You know the protector, but I need to introduce you to the way maker. Allow me to show you a side of me you hadn't met yet. He engages in progressive revelation. Hallelujah. My God, I feel a little something pushing me here. And I need somebody in the room who's got enough spirit. I need your spiritual audacity to pray the prayer that Moses prayed and I need you to say it like you got fervor and enthusiasm and conviction. Ask the lord. Show me your glory. In 2026, show me signs of you that I've never seen in 2026 at all. Show me your glory. Show me your glory. Show me your glory. I gotta have it. I gotta have it. I gotta have it. So listen family. It's one thing

to know he engages in progressive revelation. It's another thing to know how. And what I'm arguing in this series is that one of the ways God engages in the act of progressive revelation is by name dropping. When I say name dropping, I don't mean name dropping in the human sense, because name dropping in the human use of the word is when individuals consistently and unnecessarily articulate their association with someone significant in order to present themselves as significant. Name dropping is actually the activity of the insecure. It's people who attempt, you know, I was just talking with them. I was just with them. I was just texting them. I was just hanging with them. We was just together. We was just texting. No, you were DMing.

That's not the same. You don't have the number. I'm sorry for you. It's the action of insecure people who attempt to increase their credibility by attaching themselves to those who actually have it. So instead of building their own sense of significance, they try to borrow significance from their association with people who actually have it. That's not the name dropping I'm talking about, because when humans name drop, they use somebody else's name. You got it. But when God name drops, he doesn't have to drop anybody else's name. When God name drops, he drops his own name. He doesn't have to drop anybody else's name. And God dropping his names is the way God reveals different aspects of himself, because the first place we go to get revelation on who God is

must be scripture. And in scripture, he progressively unveils and exposes different aspects of himself by giving names. So why does he have to give a name? It's because God is not his name. Now, you can call him God. Let's not get legalistic. When you call him God, he know who you're talking to. So he's that's right. But God is not his name, because the first time in scripture we're introduced to the word God is in the first sentence of the first book of the Bible. Genesis one one. And this is in the beginning, God. And that word God there in the Hebrew, because the Old Testament is written in Hebrew, except for some chapters in Daniel that are written in Aramaic. That first word, the first mention of the word God there is a word called Elohim. And Elohim is not a name. It's a category of being. It's used to describe God,

but it's also used to describe other spiritual created beings like the devil, like angels, like demons. It's also used in scripture to describe some idol gods who have no power. So when you say Elohim, you're talking about a category of being. Saying God is God's name is saying man is mine. I'm a man, but that's not my name. And you knowing I'm a man is not enough for you to relate to me. Because you need to know not just am I a man, what kind am I? Am I a good one? Am I an honest one? Come on. Am I a hardworking one? Am I a compassionate one? Come on. So it's not just enough to know that I'm a man. I got to know what kind. And it's not just enough. to know that there is a God I Can take you to the Bible and James says in the book of James even demons believe and they tremble Are we all right You're not bored. Are you? Yeah Elohim

Describes a category of being But it's not his name His names reveal his nature He says I'm gonna give you names because my names reveal my nature It reveals my qualities. It reveals my attributes. It reveals what you can expect It exposes whether or not I'm passive or powerful. It exposes whether or not I'm relational or transactional it Exposes whether or not I am faithful and consistent or reliable or whether I'm fragile and impulsive And in the text in Exodus 3 we get exposed to a conversation God's having with a man named Moses Here Where he gives Moses a name It's right here in the book of Exodus Book of Exodus second book of the Bible Exodus means exit So the content contained in the book of Exodus is content that reveals and exposes us to how God Reveals himself as the God who creates exits for his people Come on am I making sense am I making sense right? I said am I making sense yeah Genesis the first book of the Bible ends with this with the life story cuz like really and I think I'm getting ready to do I'm gonna do something on this in a couple weeks on blueprint But anyway, the book of Genesis ends with a gentleman named Joseph right that so Genesis ends with Joseph right and Joseph you can look at this Joseph is promoted to a place of Civil and governmental leadership in Egypt and there is a famine in his whole is it in his in his old Homeland and he brings his family to be with him in Egypt so that they are preserved and protected during the famine But Exodus begins with saying this there arose a Pharaoh died Which is a Pharaoh's a title not a name a Pharaoh head of Egypt dies

And there arose a Pharaoh in Egypt that didn't know Joseph And Watch this and the Bible says I don't have time Yes, I do. It's the 1230. I got time. It's the 1230. I forgot I got time Exodus 1 verse 6 says now Joseph and all his brothers in that generation died, but the Israelites were exceedingly fruitful They multiplied greatly Increased in number and became so numerous that the land was filled with them then a new king to whom Joseph meant nothing Came to power in Egypt and said look these Israelites have become far too numerous for us come We must deal shrewdly with them or they will become even more numerous and if war breaks out They will join our enemies and fight against us and leave the country So the Pharaoh that Joseph had favor with died This is why you need to know the difference in favor coming from people versus favor coming through them Let me go over here Yeah, because if you think favor comes from them when something happens with that Pharaoh You're gonna think you lost your favor, but when you realize favor doesn't come from them That favor comes through them You recognize God's got another way To get me to what he's trying to get me to and to get through to me what he's trying to get through to me Do I have a witness here? So text says Israel begins to multiply So greatly that this Pharaoh becomes intimidated Did you hear what I just said it means here this let's paraphrase it they outgrew his expectation and They were already numerous, but they kept growing and When they outgrew his expectation it created intimidation And they didn't do anything but grow.

They didn't threaten him, they just grew. Somebody caught it in the back. They didn't attack him, they just grew. The only thing they did was grow. And their multiplication created intimidation and now they become the object of retaliation and the only thing they did was grow. Am I preaching to anybody that's ever been through an experience where you're wondering why am I being attacked for growing? No, I don't wanna do that anymore, I've grown. No, I don't wanna talk about that anymore, I've grown. No, I don't wanna go there anymore, I've grown. Now, why are you attacking me when the only thing I did was grow? God, Jesus, thank you. So Pharaoh orders that these Egyptians harshly and shrewdly deal with Israel. And for 400 years, they are handled unjustly, unfairly. And all of a sudden, there's a man named Moses who's minding his business. God starts setting bushes on fire, saying, take off your shoes, this is holy ground. I'm not gonna bother this, he's taking off his shoes and worshiping someone, we're getting ready to expose this, whose name he didn't even know. Who? He's worshiping with an incomplete revelation of who he's worshiping. He took off his shoes, he's obeying.

A God he's got limited understanding about. And watch what God says to him, y'all all right? Watch what God says to him, he says, I have indeed seen the misery of my people. Am I in the book? Well, y'all don't know, because it's not up there. Let's put, there it is, okay. There it is, now I want you to see this, I'm in the book. Here it is. I have indeed seen the misery of my people in Egypt. Is that in the book? He says, I have heard them crying out because of their slave drivers. Is that in the book? I am concerned about their suffering. Is that in the book? He says, I've seen the misery, I've heard the crying, and I'm concerned. I've seen the misery, I've heard the crying, and I'm concerned. I've seen the misery, I've heard the crying, and I'm concerned. I've seen the misery, I've heard the crying, and I'm concerned. What's interesting is who he says this to. He doesn't say this to Israel. He says this to Moses. Did you hear what I just said? So just because God is not talking to you about the problem doesn't mean God

is not working on the answer. And my question is, do you want God to talk to you about the problem or do you want God to do something about it? Somebody throw your hands up and say, fix it, Jesus. Yeah, you don't have to tell me what you're doing. Just fix it, Jesus. You don't have to make an announcement. Just fix it, Jesus. You don't have to send me a prophetic word. Just fix it, Jesus. I'm almost done, here it is. He says, I've heard their crying, I've seen their misery, I've heard their crying, and I'm concerned about their suffering. Now watch verse eight. So I have come down to rescue them from the hand of the Egyptians and to bring them up out of that land and into, I don't have time. I don't have time. Into a good, spacious land. He said, I'm getting ready to give them some room. Does anybody need some room? I need some room mentally. I need some room emotionally. I need some room financially. I need some margin. He says, I'm getting ready to bring you into a good and spacious land.

It's agriculturally rich. Are y'all ready for this? A land flowing with milk and honey. Now watch the text. The home of the Canaanites, the Hittites, the Amorites, the Perizzites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites. It's they home now. But they are temporarily occupying. Y'all better come get me today. They are temporarily occupying what belongs to you. It's yours, but you're going to have to overthrow the opposition that is occupying what I promise. This is called the promised land and it represents the promises of God. But you've got some Canaanites and some Jebusites and some Hittites and some Perizzites and some Hivites that are occupying your promises. And you must be willing to overthrow the opposition so you can experience the promise. He says, now you don't get what I promise without a fight now. If you're too scared to fight, you're too scared to get blessed. Good God Almighty said you're too scared to put up a fight. You're too scared to possess a promise. You better fight for your peace. You better fight for your joy. You better fight for your focus. You better fight for your clarity.

You better fight for your family. You better overthrow everything that is occupying your promise. I'm almost done. Here it is. Here it is. God say in verse eight, I have come down to rescue them from the hand of the Egyptians. Is that the text? So God say, I come down. That's verse eight. Now I want you to see verse 10. So go now, I'm sending you to Pharaoh. Wait a minute. Give me verse eight. God says, I have come down. Is that the text? I've come down to rescue them. Is that the text? Now go to verse 10. So now Moses, I'm sending you. Now God, you said Jewels going. He says, I am. I am going. I'm sending you. Did you hear what I just said? He says, I'm going because I'm sending you as my ambassador. I'm sending you as my representative. I'm gonna do it, but I'm gonna do it through you.

And some of you don't understand. Israel is waiting on you to accept your assignment. How many people are waiting on your yes? Here it is. Here it is. Here it is. Here it is. So Moses, Moses like, okay. First of all, verse 11, he says, now who am I that I should go to Pharaoh and bring the Israelites out of Egypt? That's verse 11. Am I in the book? Okay, now look at verse 12. Verse 12 says, I will be with you. Y'all missed it. Verse 11, Moses say, who am I that I should go to Pharaoh and bring the Israelites out of Egypt? And God said, I'll be with you. Y'all missed it. Verse 11, who am I that I should go to Pharaoh and bring the Israelites out of Egypt? And God said, I'll be with you. Moses, Moses' assignment exposes his insecurities. The thing that God's calling him to do is reminding Moses of who he's not. And God doesn't argue with him. He just said, I'm with you. I know what you're not. And I'm not saying you are what you're not,

but I'm saying I am what you're not. Did you hear what I just? He said, I know what you're not, but whatever you're not, I am. So since I'm gonna be with you, there is no deficit. I don't know who this is for, but I want you to know that the answer to the question is, he's with you. And as long as he's with you, whatever you are not, he is. So Moses say, okay, let's make this a loop here. Moses said, okay, all right, I got you, I got you. So he says, all right, I'm with it. Suppose I go to the Israelites and say to them, the God of your fathers has sent me to you. And they asked me, what is his name? What am I gonna tell him? And God said to Moses, I am who I am. He says, this is what you are to say to the Israelites. Say, I am, has sent me to you. Now, you know the Old Testament's written in Hebrew, New Testament's written in Greek, so this word here, if I am, is a word, Yahweh. Yeah! Yahweh! Yahweh! Yahweh! Yahweh! Yahweh! Yahweh! Did you hear what I just said?

He says, tell Israel, Yahweh sent you. This is the first time he uses this name. Because if you look at Exodus six, verse two, God also said to Moses, I am the Lord. Do you see that? Okay, we're gonna come back to that. He says, I appear to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob as God Almighty. That's El Shaddai. But my name, the Lord, I did not make myself fully known to them. But by my name, the Lord, I did not make myself fully known to them. So he's saying, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob didn't even know this side of me. Yeah! But your assignment requires that you have a different revelation of me than they did. Because they had their issues, but they never had to face a Pharaoh. So there's a side of me you're gonna need to know. There's a revelation that you're gonna need to receive that's going to anchor you in the adversity that your assignment is gonna bring into your life. Now watch this. He says, I am, give me verse two, the Lord. Y'all see that? Exodus six, verse two, the Lord. You see that? That's all caps, isn't it?

That's all caps, isn't it? All right, now give me verse three. He says, but by my name, the Lord. That's all caps, isn't it? So when he says the Lord, he's saying that's my name. So whenever you see in the Old Testament, Lord in all caps. Okay. Whenever you see all caps, that's Yahweh. Or what we say in English, Jehovah. Give me Psalms 23, one. David said. David said, the Lord is my shepherd. So because the Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want. Yahweh, Jehovah is my shepherd. Why is this important? This is his covenant name. When God uses this name, the names reveal the nature. He is revealing to his people, I am the God that makes and keeps covenant. I'm not just a creator, I'm a covenant keeper. Y'all missed it? Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob needed to know him as God Almighty. But Moses needed to know him as a covenant keeper. Pastor, what is a covenant? It is God voluntarily binding himself to a promise and obligating himself to act according to his nature. He says, I am obligating myself to act according to my nature.

I am obligating myself to act according to my nature. Therefore, I am what I am. That's why that makes sense now. Whatever I am, I promise you, I'm gonna be it. Did you hear what I just said? He says, whatever I am, I covenant with you that I'm gonna be that in your life and I will never act in a way that is inconsistent with my nature. So because I'm good, I will be good. And because I'm faithful, I will be faithful. And because I'm compassionate, I will be compassionate. And because I'm all-knowing, I will always lead you with wisdom. I am what I am, whatever I am, I will be. And you're gonna need me to be so much. That I can't tell you everything you're gonna need me to be yet. Hallelujah. So I'm just gonna give you my covenant name and then I'm gonna put a blank behind it. And then when you get in certain situations, I'm gonna fill in the blank. Right now, you need to know I'm Jehovah. But when you need provision, I'm gonna write Jireh in the. Right now, you need to know Jehovah. But when you need peace, I'm gonna write Shalom in the. Right now, you need to know Jehovah. But when you feel lonely and isolated, you need to write Shammah in there.

Right now, you need to know. I'm Jehovah, but when you need healing in your heart and healing in your mind and healing in your body I'm gonna write the wrong way in there That's Yahweh He says I'm a covenant-making and covenant-keeping God. You need to know I'm a God of covenant I don't break covenant. I don't break covenant I don't break covenant. You'll sleep better at night if you know I don't break covenant. Your nerves will become calmer when you realize I don't break covenant Did you hear what I just said? Your stress will become a weaker when you realize I don't break covenant This is this is this covenant document So for some of you these are just stories So you kind of inspire But for those of us who have a revelation of Yahweh This is an agreement Signed in blood Hallelujah I said this is an agreement that has been signed in blood and he makes a commitment to keep the contents of the covenant I don't even have time. Didn't we just have communion? What did Jesus say? This is the this is This is the new covenant He's a covenant-making and covenant-keeping God and here's our problem some of our problem You love God You just hadn't met Yahweh So you saved but you stressed Because Elohim can't deal with your stress Did you hear what I did? Elohim can't deal with your stress It's Yahweh. I don't break covenant So even when I don't know what I want to know I lean on what I do know and what I do know is I

Don't break covenant Did you hear what I just said All right Psalm 23 David said the Lord is my shepherd All right. Now this even if we jaywalk to the New Testament, this makes what Paul says in Romans 10 9 It make it make sense. Don't it if you confess with your mouth and And believe in your heart that Jesus Is the Lord Paul's not saying say Jesus is boss Paul is saying Jesus is Yahweh in human form So every name that's in the Old Testament that describes God becomes summarized and Synchronized synchronized in one word Jesus So my confession is Jesus is Yahweh So when I say Jesus, I'm saying Jaira When I say Jesus, I'm saying Nisi when I say Jesus. I'm saying Shalom. Are you here? This revelation can cause a revolution Because I know God But I need to meet Yahweh And I thought about my spiritual journey, I'm like my whole spiritual journey I've been saying Jehovah Yahweh And nobody even told me what that mean Did you hear what I just said Because when I get a revelation this it changes not just how I see God, but how I see me This shifts my confidence I become more confident when I realize he's a covenant-keeping God Do you guys realize that when David fought Goliath before he fought Goliath? He said these words who is this uncircumcised Philistine? What does circumcision have to do with a battle? Circumcision was a symbol of the covenant

So when he says Goliath is uncircumcised, he's saying I'm not scared to fight him because he's got height He's got weight, but he don't have covenant and You will run from what you should be running to When you don't realize I got a covenant Maybe I don't have the experience, but I got a covenant Maybe I don't have the network, but I got a covenant. Maybe I don't have the paper, but I got a covenant Gives you confidence to it gives you clarity. There's a lot of anxiety that people have because you don't know what God wants to do And he's made it clear in the scriptures. You don't have to worry about what I want to do. I put it here I want to supply your needs and I covenant to do it and It also brings not just clarity brings calmness It helps ease my anxiousness It's because instead of focusing on the answers I don't have I Lean into the answers that I do And what I know is you don't break covenant So it calms me Now we're getting ready to go I want nobody moving we're in good time today here it is Revelation creates a revolution in your life, but it also revolutionizes your worship Yahweh get something from me Elohim don't get And really quick I want you to take about two minutes We're gonna raise this up. Some of you've heard us sing this a lot Some of you've heard us sing this a lot But I want you to sing it different now from a different place Because now you've got a greater revelation of what this means So our team's gonna raise a little bit of this And I want you to reflect on what this means now that you got this revelation, let's raise it Charles Now I want you to give Yahweh a hand clap of praise praise Praise Jehovah Hahaha my covenant-keeping God you don't break covenant