A New Name
Sermon
From This Day Forward
First Lesson Sermons For Lent/Easter
What names did people call you as you were growing up? What nicknames did your parents or grandparents saddle you with? I hope most of the names were endearing. But were others nasty or hurtful? Were you given a nickname because of how you looked or how you talked? Because of where you lived or what you wore?
Did anyone ever give you a name because they felt they knew what your future would hold? If so, did that spur you on in your destiny or did it hold you back and discourage you? Did they nickname you in honor of what they believed you would become? I hope so!
On Ash Wednesday we were called to change our ways. Last week we were called to remember God's unchanging ways. Today we are called to celebrate our name change! First we needed to repent, and then we needed to be reminded of God's faithfulness, and today we are reminded of our purpose in life.
Lent is a call to renew our purpose for living on earth. Why did God choose us in the first place? Why did he work so hard through his Holy Spirit to change us? We could be spiritually opposed to God, but we're not. Why? Is it just so we can enjoy a pleasant life and as a result of our faith in Jesus go to an even better place someday? I don't think so.
It's because of a covenant, an agreement, God made with Abram centuries ago. This was another covenant of eternity even as Noah's was. In contrast to last week's covenant, however, this one is two-sided. God had already come to Abram and revealed his plan of action years earlier (chapter 15). In response to God's promises, Abram was walking with God (v. 1). Now he changes Abram's name and that of someone else very close to him. Then he put a specific call on Abram's life.
I wonder what nicknames Abram had in school or on the soccer field before God got a hold of him. Perhaps he was called Abe or Ram. When God began his work, he lengthened Abram's given name because he was in the process of changing his purpose for living. "Abram" had an impressive meaning already: "lofty father." Others might have been pleased, but not Abram, because he wasn't even a father yet, much less feeling lofty. So when God changed his name to Abraham, which means "father of many," Abe had a choice: either see it as a cruel joke or see it as a name given in faith by a big God who could yet bring sons from his body. God always gives names that declare what he has done, even if it is only by faith at the time. The name change also put a call on Abram's life: to be "very fruitful; I will make nations of you, and kings will come from you" (v. 6). The entire Jewish nation has come from Abraham; the King of kings came from the ancestry of this man and all the Church too!
What nicknames did Abram's wife endure growing up? What pet names did Abram have for Sarai? There was someone who loved Sarai even more than Abram did, and he changed her name, too. From a beautiful moniker meaning "princess" or "the heroine" (both complimentary in their own right), God changed her name to Sarah, because he had planned something magnificent for her. She would be destined "to rule," "to overcome," and to "triumph" as a princess over what? Her infertility. And she did. All Jewish mamas are descendants of Sarah. Her call was to be the "mother of nations," and "kings of people will come from her" (v. 16). Indeed they did! What a calling!
God delights in changing people's lives and their names, too. Think of all the examples in the Bible where God graciously effected a change of heart, then changed the given name on the birth certificate. Jacob, for example (Genesis 32), after an all night wrestling match with God, was given the name Israel to represent the struggle he had just endured. It also characterized Jacob's coming boldness to serve the God of his fathers and predicted the struggles and victories to come of the people named after him, the children of Israel.
We know of a man named Saul who didn't always go by that name. Though it wasn't changed immediately after God miraculously turned Saul around, Saul, which means "asked of God," became Paul, which means "little." Because of the greatness of Paul's ministry, perhaps God wanted Paul to remember where his "bigness" and power came from, so that he could be even more effective in God's kingdom.
And, of course, as God was changing Peter's life to one of stability and less frequent eruption, Jesus gave Peter a name in faith of who he would become! Peter means "a pebble," but he was renamed "Rock." No longer would he be just a stone in someone's shoe, but a force to be reckoned with, a large, noticeable boulder built on the foundation of Christ the solid rock. As one of the chief apostles who established the Church, Peter lived up to the billing.
What about you and me during this Lenten season? If God were to show up at your coffee break room at work or the locker room at the club or listen to your conversation on the phone, what nicknames would he hear you being called? How has God changed your life so that you have a different name, a different outlook, and a new future?
If you are a believer in Christ (thus a descendant of Abraham) and one who depends on Jesus alone for salvation, you have already been given a new name. When you were baptized -- or whenever your faith birthday was -- your middle name was changed to "Christian." Scott Christian Miller. Susan Christian Wise. Even if you are named after a grandparent or parent, your given middle name is not nearly as important as the Christ at the center of your life. Another name that God has given us is "saint." Wait. Isn't that reserved for people with white hair, for people in heaven already, or for people of the stature of the late Mother Teresa? No, you have the nickname of "saint" because you are a holy one, made holy through the blood of Jesus. Jesus, through the prophet Isaiah, hundreds of years before he was even born said to you, "Fear not, for I have redeemed you; I have summoned you by name; you are mine" (43:1).
There is a story about two young brothers who were caught stealing sheep. The punishment back then was to brand the thief's forehead with the letters S.T., which stood for sheep thief. One brother subsequently left the village and spent his remaining years wandering from place to place indelibly marked by disgrace. The other remained in the village, made restitution for the stolen sheep, and became a caring friend and neighbor to the townspeople -- an old man loved by all.
Many years later, a stranger came to town and inquired about the S.T. on the old man's forehead. "I'm not sure what it means," another told him. "It happened so long ago, but I think the letters must stand for saint."
God has a myriad of other names to describe his beloved children, but his favorites are names that describe a person who fulfills his purpose after he gets a name change.
During World War II, a church in Strasbourg, France, was destroyed. Little remained but rubble. When that was cleared, a statue of Christ, standing erect, was found. It was unbroken except for the two hands, which were missing.
In time, the church was rebuilt. A sculptor, noticing the missing hands on the statue of Christ, said, "Let me carve a new statue of Christ, with hands." Church officials met to consider the sculptor's proposal. His offer was rejected. A spokesman for the church said, "Our broken statue will serve to remind us that Christ touches the hearts of men, but he has not a hand to minister to the needy or feed the hungry or enrich the poor except our hands."
That's the calling Christians (little Christs) and saints have on their lives: to be the hands and feet of Jesus in this world. It's the same calling that Abraham and Sarah had and it is why God called Jacob, Saul, and Peter by new names: to point to the cross of Jesus. It's a calling to declare with Paul and Peter that there is no other name by which we must be saved and have abundant life now.
How well are we living up to the name God gave us: Christian? Alexander the Great was reviewing his troops as they prepared for war. As he walked along the straight lines, he found one disheveled soldier. Standing directly in front of the soldier, he barked at him and said, 'What is your name, private? "Alexander, sir!" came the reply. Staring even more sternly at him, the Emperor asked again, "What is your name?" Again the soldier said, "Alexander, sir!" Without hesitation, the Commander in Chief once again asked him, "Private, I said, what is your name?" Bewildered, the soldier meekly said, "Alexander, sir!" The leader then replied, "Well, private, either change your conduct or change your name!" The Holy Spirit is the one who "works in you to will and to act according to his good purposes" (Philippians 2:13). He makes and keeps us as little Christs.
As we walk with Christ and carry his name, how well are we doing at fulfilling our mission? Every Christian has a call on his/her life to make an eternal spiritual difference in the world each day. I pray that for myself each day. Even as Abraham and Sarah were called to be very fruitful and be the father and mother of kings, so we are too!
I know someone who views the parable of the seeds sown upon different soils in the New Testament as a challenge to Christians to pray for fruit and harvests in our lives. But he pleads, "Don't settle for thirty or sixty times what was sown, but at least 100 times the fruit." In fact, he prays specifically that God will not take him home until he's allowed to influence thousands of people for Christ. "Lord, don't let me die until at your throne I can rejoice that you saved and nurtured 5,000 precious souls through me!" Many nations, Lord. I want to be very fruitful. We all know we can't take anything to heaven. Except people.
Do we think long term in this mission or just about our neighbor or cubicle partner whom we want to fall in love with Christ? Do we think about our descendants coming after us? When God made his covenant with Abraham, he had a long-term perspective in mind. You will affect generations to come, Abe, so that I can be "the God of your descendants after you" (v. 7). What about the children you are nurturing right now in your home? Or the children you are teaching in Sunday School? Or your grandchildren or the children you have adopted in the neighborhood? You are being called and used by God to cultivate "kings of people" for the kingdom of God. Your physical children or your spiritual children can become mighty warriors for Jesus through your influence and they, in turn, might change a nation or people group. It's never too late to take this calling seriously. Abraham was 99 years old and Sarah ninety when the beginning of this promise and covenant came to fruition.
Francis of Assisi once invited a young monk to join him on a trip to town to preach. Honored to be asked, the monk gladly accepted. All day long he and Francis walked through the streets, alleyways, the byways, and even the suburbs. They saw and interacted with hundreds of people. At day's end, the two headed back home. Not even once had Francis addressed a crowd, nor had he specifically talked to anyone about Jesus. His young companion was deeply disappointed and confused. "I thought we were going into town to preach." Francis replied, "My son, we have preached. We were preaching while we were walking. We were seen by many and our behavior was closely watched. It is of no use to walk anywhere to preach unless we preach everywhere as we walk!" We have a life-long, life-changing, lifestyle calling because we have a new name given to us by God himself.
No nickname or title you bear is as important as the name God has given you. And no one can take it away. As you give your children nicknames, I urge you to make them ones which, first of all, remind them of their status with Christ. Second of all, use the nickname as a means of giving them a sense of destiny and encouragement as they fulfill their calling as a Christian. Why? So they may also be very fruitful in the generations to come.
An anonymous author has penned these words which aptly describe our purpose for living:
You are writing a gospel, a chapter each day,
By deeds that you do, by the words that you say;
People read what you write, whether faithless or true --
Say, what is the gospel according to you?
Did anyone ever give you a name because they felt they knew what your future would hold? If so, did that spur you on in your destiny or did it hold you back and discourage you? Did they nickname you in honor of what they believed you would become? I hope so!
On Ash Wednesday we were called to change our ways. Last week we were called to remember God's unchanging ways. Today we are called to celebrate our name change! First we needed to repent, and then we needed to be reminded of God's faithfulness, and today we are reminded of our purpose in life.
Lent is a call to renew our purpose for living on earth. Why did God choose us in the first place? Why did he work so hard through his Holy Spirit to change us? We could be spiritually opposed to God, but we're not. Why? Is it just so we can enjoy a pleasant life and as a result of our faith in Jesus go to an even better place someday? I don't think so.
It's because of a covenant, an agreement, God made with Abram centuries ago. This was another covenant of eternity even as Noah's was. In contrast to last week's covenant, however, this one is two-sided. God had already come to Abram and revealed his plan of action years earlier (chapter 15). In response to God's promises, Abram was walking with God (v. 1). Now he changes Abram's name and that of someone else very close to him. Then he put a specific call on Abram's life.
I wonder what nicknames Abram had in school or on the soccer field before God got a hold of him. Perhaps he was called Abe or Ram. When God began his work, he lengthened Abram's given name because he was in the process of changing his purpose for living. "Abram" had an impressive meaning already: "lofty father." Others might have been pleased, but not Abram, because he wasn't even a father yet, much less feeling lofty. So when God changed his name to Abraham, which means "father of many," Abe had a choice: either see it as a cruel joke or see it as a name given in faith by a big God who could yet bring sons from his body. God always gives names that declare what he has done, even if it is only by faith at the time. The name change also put a call on Abram's life: to be "very fruitful; I will make nations of you, and kings will come from you" (v. 6). The entire Jewish nation has come from Abraham; the King of kings came from the ancestry of this man and all the Church too!
What nicknames did Abram's wife endure growing up? What pet names did Abram have for Sarai? There was someone who loved Sarai even more than Abram did, and he changed her name, too. From a beautiful moniker meaning "princess" or "the heroine" (both complimentary in their own right), God changed her name to Sarah, because he had planned something magnificent for her. She would be destined "to rule," "to overcome," and to "triumph" as a princess over what? Her infertility. And she did. All Jewish mamas are descendants of Sarah. Her call was to be the "mother of nations," and "kings of people will come from her" (v. 16). Indeed they did! What a calling!
God delights in changing people's lives and their names, too. Think of all the examples in the Bible where God graciously effected a change of heart, then changed the given name on the birth certificate. Jacob, for example (Genesis 32), after an all night wrestling match with God, was given the name Israel to represent the struggle he had just endured. It also characterized Jacob's coming boldness to serve the God of his fathers and predicted the struggles and victories to come of the people named after him, the children of Israel.
We know of a man named Saul who didn't always go by that name. Though it wasn't changed immediately after God miraculously turned Saul around, Saul, which means "asked of God," became Paul, which means "little." Because of the greatness of Paul's ministry, perhaps God wanted Paul to remember where his "bigness" and power came from, so that he could be even more effective in God's kingdom.
And, of course, as God was changing Peter's life to one of stability and less frequent eruption, Jesus gave Peter a name in faith of who he would become! Peter means "a pebble," but he was renamed "Rock." No longer would he be just a stone in someone's shoe, but a force to be reckoned with, a large, noticeable boulder built on the foundation of Christ the solid rock. As one of the chief apostles who established the Church, Peter lived up to the billing.
What about you and me during this Lenten season? If God were to show up at your coffee break room at work or the locker room at the club or listen to your conversation on the phone, what nicknames would he hear you being called? How has God changed your life so that you have a different name, a different outlook, and a new future?
If you are a believer in Christ (thus a descendant of Abraham) and one who depends on Jesus alone for salvation, you have already been given a new name. When you were baptized -- or whenever your faith birthday was -- your middle name was changed to "Christian." Scott Christian Miller. Susan Christian Wise. Even if you are named after a grandparent or parent, your given middle name is not nearly as important as the Christ at the center of your life. Another name that God has given us is "saint." Wait. Isn't that reserved for people with white hair, for people in heaven already, or for people of the stature of the late Mother Teresa? No, you have the nickname of "saint" because you are a holy one, made holy through the blood of Jesus. Jesus, through the prophet Isaiah, hundreds of years before he was even born said to you, "Fear not, for I have redeemed you; I have summoned you by name; you are mine" (43:1).
There is a story about two young brothers who were caught stealing sheep. The punishment back then was to brand the thief's forehead with the letters S.T., which stood for sheep thief. One brother subsequently left the village and spent his remaining years wandering from place to place indelibly marked by disgrace. The other remained in the village, made restitution for the stolen sheep, and became a caring friend and neighbor to the townspeople -- an old man loved by all.
Many years later, a stranger came to town and inquired about the S.T. on the old man's forehead. "I'm not sure what it means," another told him. "It happened so long ago, but I think the letters must stand for saint."
God has a myriad of other names to describe his beloved children, but his favorites are names that describe a person who fulfills his purpose after he gets a name change.
During World War II, a church in Strasbourg, France, was destroyed. Little remained but rubble. When that was cleared, a statue of Christ, standing erect, was found. It was unbroken except for the two hands, which were missing.
In time, the church was rebuilt. A sculptor, noticing the missing hands on the statue of Christ, said, "Let me carve a new statue of Christ, with hands." Church officials met to consider the sculptor's proposal. His offer was rejected. A spokesman for the church said, "Our broken statue will serve to remind us that Christ touches the hearts of men, but he has not a hand to minister to the needy or feed the hungry or enrich the poor except our hands."
That's the calling Christians (little Christs) and saints have on their lives: to be the hands and feet of Jesus in this world. It's the same calling that Abraham and Sarah had and it is why God called Jacob, Saul, and Peter by new names: to point to the cross of Jesus. It's a calling to declare with Paul and Peter that there is no other name by which we must be saved and have abundant life now.
How well are we living up to the name God gave us: Christian? Alexander the Great was reviewing his troops as they prepared for war. As he walked along the straight lines, he found one disheveled soldier. Standing directly in front of the soldier, he barked at him and said, 'What is your name, private? "Alexander, sir!" came the reply. Staring even more sternly at him, the Emperor asked again, "What is your name?" Again the soldier said, "Alexander, sir!" Without hesitation, the Commander in Chief once again asked him, "Private, I said, what is your name?" Bewildered, the soldier meekly said, "Alexander, sir!" The leader then replied, "Well, private, either change your conduct or change your name!" The Holy Spirit is the one who "works in you to will and to act according to his good purposes" (Philippians 2:13). He makes and keeps us as little Christs.
As we walk with Christ and carry his name, how well are we doing at fulfilling our mission? Every Christian has a call on his/her life to make an eternal spiritual difference in the world each day. I pray that for myself each day. Even as Abraham and Sarah were called to be very fruitful and be the father and mother of kings, so we are too!
I know someone who views the parable of the seeds sown upon different soils in the New Testament as a challenge to Christians to pray for fruit and harvests in our lives. But he pleads, "Don't settle for thirty or sixty times what was sown, but at least 100 times the fruit." In fact, he prays specifically that God will not take him home until he's allowed to influence thousands of people for Christ. "Lord, don't let me die until at your throne I can rejoice that you saved and nurtured 5,000 precious souls through me!" Many nations, Lord. I want to be very fruitful. We all know we can't take anything to heaven. Except people.
Do we think long term in this mission or just about our neighbor or cubicle partner whom we want to fall in love with Christ? Do we think about our descendants coming after us? When God made his covenant with Abraham, he had a long-term perspective in mind. You will affect generations to come, Abe, so that I can be "the God of your descendants after you" (v. 7). What about the children you are nurturing right now in your home? Or the children you are teaching in Sunday School? Or your grandchildren or the children you have adopted in the neighborhood? You are being called and used by God to cultivate "kings of people" for the kingdom of God. Your physical children or your spiritual children can become mighty warriors for Jesus through your influence and they, in turn, might change a nation or people group. It's never too late to take this calling seriously. Abraham was 99 years old and Sarah ninety when the beginning of this promise and covenant came to fruition.
Francis of Assisi once invited a young monk to join him on a trip to town to preach. Honored to be asked, the monk gladly accepted. All day long he and Francis walked through the streets, alleyways, the byways, and even the suburbs. They saw and interacted with hundreds of people. At day's end, the two headed back home. Not even once had Francis addressed a crowd, nor had he specifically talked to anyone about Jesus. His young companion was deeply disappointed and confused. "I thought we were going into town to preach." Francis replied, "My son, we have preached. We were preaching while we were walking. We were seen by many and our behavior was closely watched. It is of no use to walk anywhere to preach unless we preach everywhere as we walk!" We have a life-long, life-changing, lifestyle calling because we have a new name given to us by God himself.
No nickname or title you bear is as important as the name God has given you. And no one can take it away. As you give your children nicknames, I urge you to make them ones which, first of all, remind them of their status with Christ. Second of all, use the nickname as a means of giving them a sense of destiny and encouragement as they fulfill their calling as a Christian. Why? So they may also be very fruitful in the generations to come.
An anonymous author has penned these words which aptly describe our purpose for living:
You are writing a gospel, a chapter each day,
By deeds that you do, by the words that you say;
People read what you write, whether faithless or true --
Say, what is the gospel according to you?
