Topical: A New Name
March 1st, 2008
Identity in Christ
Sometimes you meet someone who has a very special effect on you. For whatever reason there is just something about them that keeps you from remembering their name. I dont know what it is but I am terrible with names. Most people I meet four or five times before I really learn their name and once I do if I go a month or so without seeing them I often forget. I actually am so bad with names I have introduced myself as the wrong name before. I met my friend Andrews dad and I introduced myself saying: hi my name is Andrew¦oh¦umm no Andrew is your sons name and you would know that since you gave it to him terrible moment. Well this mental disability has hindered me many times in my life. In college I met a girl 26 times before I remember her name. The first few she was polite and thought it innocent enough but then she started keeping track. After about the tenth time she started to get really annoyed. So when I would introduce myself I noticed some hostility on her face and realized I had done this before but still could not remember her name. After 26 times of forgetting her name she didnt like me very much. I tried to apologize you know: I am sorry I cant remember you name, I am also sorry that in 26 attempts you have not been able to do anything memorable to help me. She didnt really like my saying that either but what can you do? When you mess it up that bad all thats left is to laugh at yourself. So when I say I am bad with names you know I am not just giving myself a hard time. You might be bad with names, but you certainly are not as bad as I am.
What I find strange is that people get really upset when you forget their name. I would think you would want them to remember what you said more than who you are but for some reason we think if you dont know my name you dont really know me. See as much as I would like to deny it names are important. They have a great significance in our lives for in our name we find our identity. While the significance of names has changed drastically in our culture from what they were in the ancient world you can still see some of the power that they have. How many of you were named after another member of your family? How many of you were named after a famous person or someone your parents respected? We can see the significance of names in their namesakes. How many of you know someone named Benedict Arnold? It wasnt an uncommon name at the time. So why dont we see it anymore? Could it be that the treacherous acts of one Benedict Arnold ruined the name for an entire society? Do you know anyone named Hitler? Know anyone who named their child Jeffrey Dahmer recently? What about Judas? Do you know anyone named Judas? This used to be a very common name. Two of Jesus disciples were named Judas, only one betrayed Him yet from that time on the name Judas really lost popularity. One mans actions tainted an entire name. So we see the significance that can go along with names even in our society.
You may not realize this but names are more than just identification tools. Names have meaning. Names have power. Names can tell you a lot about a person for everything you know about a person is connected with their name. For a name will also carry with it a reputation. If you know my name and you hear of things I have done your opinion of me will be connected with my name. So what is your name? Mr. Rush, would you mind sharing with us your first and last name? John is a great name and very fitting for you. Do you know what your name means? God is gracious, see its a great name, but no¦that is not your name. Mr. Wade, what is your name? Doug, thats is good name too. Do you know what your name means? This is fun your name means black water. But no, that is not your name. Mrs. Johnson, could you tell us what your name is? Gail, your name means father in rejoicing which is a very nice meaning but that is not your name. Mr. Hayward do you know the meaning of your name? To honor God, too bad that is not your name. Cora your name means maiden but then again that is not really your name. You have been deceived into believing that this tool that we use to identify each other is actually your identity. The truth is you have a name but it is not the name you think or respond to. Your name in fact is not even the name listed on your drivers license or birth certificate. So if that is not your name, what is? What is your name? We are going to look a bit at the names and their importance as we search to find what your name is.
In the New Testament names were sometimes considered to reflect the character or destiny of a person. They believed that names had power, that names told you something about a person. This is especially true for God. In Scripture God has many names. Most of those names are not actually names but titles or descriptions of character and of who God is. They are proclamations of His divine attributes. Since they believed that names had power Jews would not speak the name Yahweh unless in direct worship for to do so was disrespectful. They believed that Yahweh I am who I am is the name of God so it must be treated with respect. When they talked of God they would use one of His titles such as Jehovah Jirah which means the God who provides or they would refer to Him as Adonai meaning Lord. But rarely would they use His true name Yahweh.
Now when a Jewish family picked out a name for their child this was extremely important. They did not just select a name the liked or they thought sounded cool, they made names out of words that already had their own meaning. For to them a name carried with it not just an identifying mark but also a statement of character. Jews believed that you could not even begin to know a person until you knew their name. So what is your name?
We can see the connection between a name and its meaning when we look at Moses. He is called Moses because his Egyptian mother found him in a basket and drew him out of the water, which is what his name means. The cool thing about this is that in a culture where names have meaning and they communicated something about the person, the name that God chooses for His Son is perfect. Jesus comes from the Hebrew name Joshua which means the salvation of Yahweh. His name is actually a description of what He was sent to do.
In a sense a name was as much a biography as it was a means for identification. You have your family name and then you have your own individual name. Just like one receives his or her genetic make up from their parents a child would also receive the reputation of their parents through their name. Being the child of a local hero would bring honor to you through your name. Being the child of a convicted thief would bring shame to you through your name. In fact Jews were often identified not only by their name but also by the name of their father. So my name wouldnt just be Tyler, I would be called Tyler bar-Dennis. You see to identify me you must know where I come from for that is an indication of my reputation. Why do you think Jesus was so found of the title Son of Man? If your name is a biography and a description of who you are, what is your name?
At this time a persons name being changed would mark a crucial turning point in the persons life. Look at Saul. When he was a Pharisee Saul was a great and passionate persecutor of the church. He had Christians arrested and killed just for being Christian. Then after God reveals Himself to Saul everything changes. Saul then becomes a passionate follower of Christ dedicated to the work of the kingdom of God. As he begins to serve and to invest in the church with this new life Saul decides he needs a new name. His old name was connected with his old faith and his terrible actions against God. So Saul changed his name to Paul which is I think is humorous because Paul means dwarfish.
This gives us a better understanding of what is going on in Scripture when God changes a persons name. For many of the people God used before they changed the world He changed their name. The father of many nations Abraham was originally named Abram which means honored father. When God sent Abram east and promised that Abram would be the father of many nations He changed Abrams name to Abraham meaning the father of many. In this same way God changed Sarai, Abrahams wifes name, which meant princess to name to Sarah which means mother of nations. Look at Jacob. Jacobs name means supplanter. He was given this name because when he was born he was holding on to his brothers heel. Of course he also lived up to the name stealing Esaus birthright as the first born child. Well after taking his wives he was crossing over the Jabbok when he wrestles with an angel. When they are done wrestling the angel gives Jacob a new name. He will be called Israel which means “having power with God.
Perhaps the most significant name change comes from Matthew 16. Jesus asks His disciples: Who do people say the Son of man is? The disciples respond with things they have heard, some say John the Baptist, other Elijah, or another prophet. Jesus then turns the question around, but who do you say that I am. In one of his best moments Simon answered, you are the Christ the Son of the living God. Simon had an insight. This truth of the Jesus true identity was not something he had heard from the gossip of others but something that God had revealed to him. As a result of this good confession Jesus gives Simon a new name. Jesus gives Simon the name Peter which means rock because Peter would become the rock on which Jesus would build His church. When we enter into a relationship with Jesus we receive a new name.
When a name was changed in the Old or New Testament it was often a reflection of Gods transformation in the life of the person whose name was changed. See when God works in you He doesnt just change your life. He doesnt give you His spirit. He gives you a new name. A name has power. A name has real significance. A name is a designated identification device. Before you came to Christ your name was your identity. It was the summation of who you are and the reputation you earned for yourself by how you lived. That name meant something to the people that knew you but it was all you had. Your identity was found in yourself. Now you have a new name. So what is your name? This is an important question to answer because names are very important.
Names are important for we are identified by our names. Our reputation is affected by what we do with the name we have. When someone knows your name they begin to know you. This is why when we begin a polite conversation we do so by introducing ourselves. In Psalms 91 we are told that to know the name of God is to know God Himself. Then John 17 says that eternal life comes from knowing God. When we know Him, not in a state of mental awareness of His existence, but when we know Him we can have life with Him. The significance that comes from knowing His name is that in this we can begin to know Him. For by knowing His name we start to see His character. His name affects our salvation. Acts 4:12 tells us that there is no other name in heaven or on earth by which we must be saved. Think about the effect. Who do we call on for salvation? What name do we use? When we are baptized we are baptized in the name of the father and the son and the holy spirit. Not Paul, not Tyler, Not Billy Graham. We are baptized in the name of Jesus. When we are baptized into His name we are identifying with Him in His death and in His resurrection. This is a public declaration of our allegiance to God. When we are baptized we put ourselves to death and are brought up to new life which is no longer our life but His life in us.
In this new life we receive a new name. Who you are is no longer found in your birth name. That is still what distinguishes you but that is no longer where your identity is found. What is your name? Your name is Christian. As a child of God you are His and you bear His name. You no longer receive your identity from the things of this world you receive it from God. You have born into life with Him and His name is now your name. You are a little Christ being molded every day to be more like Him to the glory of God. When you believe in God and obey His commands you find a new source of identity. When you live for Him you are given His name and His Spirit. In 1 Peter 4:12 we are told of this new name. When we suffer for Christ we suffer with Christ and in living for Him we bear His name.
1Pe 4:12 Dear friends, do not be surprised at the painful trial you are suffering, as though something strange were happening to you. 1Pe 4:13 But rejoice that you participate in the sufferings of Christ, so that you may be overjoyed when his glory is revealed. 1Pe 4:14 If you are insulted because of the name of Christ, you are blessed, for the Spirit of glory and of God rests on you. 1Pe 4:15 If you suffer, it should not be as a murderer or thief or any other kind of criminal, or even as a meddler. 1Pe 4:16 However, if you suffer as a Christian, do not be ashamed, but praise God that you bear that name. 1Pe 4:17 For it is time for judgment to begin with the family of God; and if it begins with us, what will the outcome be for those who do not obey the gospel of God?
Your name is Christian. When we obey Gods commands and follow the example of Christ we identify ourselves with Him. We find our identity no longer in our name but in His name. You are no longer the person you were. For in entering into a relationship with Christ you are now His. What you did before affected your reputation. How you treated others directly affected how others thought of you. Now in Christ what you do is not just a reflection of yourself it is a reflection of Him. When you do something for someone or to someone it does not just affect their opinion of you it also affects their opinion of Christ. For you are no longer an individual but now you are a part of the body of Christ and your actions affect the way He is viewed by the world. We are identified by Christ through our baptism in His name we must ensure that we do not taint His reputation. For as His ambassadors on this earth we represent Him and how the world views Him is a direct result of our actions. We have a responsibility to live up to the name that we are called by. Our identity is in Christ and being that we are His we are responsible for living like Him. We must find ourselves in obedience, in faithfulness, in service, and in love for it is not until we start to live like Christ that we become worthy of the name we so quickly identify ourselves with. It is time we started to live for our new name. It is time we started to live for Christ.
