HOW DO YOU WEAR YOUR NAME?
Acts 11:19-26
INTRODUCTION
Today we will be talking a lot about names. As you came in, you received a nametag. Hopefully it is a nametag with your name on it. If you have someone else’s nametag, just pretend to be them while you are here today. As I said, today, we will be talking a lot about names. Hopefully everyone here knows theirs, if not, help will be provided after church for you. One of the neatest things to look up about names is the popular names and what people are naming their children. Sometimes people name their children with unique names and sometimes with popular names. I know when Kelly and I were naming kids we looked up what names were popular and what trends were happening with names.
POPULAR NAMES (www.ssa.gov)
The Social Security Administration keeps records of what children are named each year and publishes those lists for us to consult when naming a child. I looked up some neat facts:
2009 Jacob, Ethan, Michael
2009 Isabella, Emma, Olivia
1990s Michael, Christopher, Matthew
1990s Jessica, Ashley, Emily
1910-2009 James, John, Robert
1910-2009 Mary, Patricia, Jennifer
Florida 2009 Jayden, Michael, Joshua
Florida 2009 Isabella, Sophia, Emma
NAMING OF MY CHILDREN
When it came time to name my children, we had a specific plan that we were going to stick to. A person is generally stuck with their name their whole life unless you get married or enter the witness protection program or are a famous athlete, so naming a child is an important responsibility for a parent. Our plan was to have meaningful Biblical first names and family middle names.
We first had Abigail Jo. Abigail is a godly woman from 1 Samuel 25 and her name means “My father’s joy.” Jo is Kelly’s middle name and the name of her maternal grandmother. We then had Nathanael Marc. Nathanael is one of the disciples of Jesus about whom Jesus said, “Here is a true Israelite, in whom there is nothing false” (John 1:47) and the name means “Gift of God.” Marc is my middle name as well as my dad’s name. Then we had Ian Jeremiah and it gets all confusing. Here we flipped the Biblical and family names. Ian is an English form of John which is Kelly’s brother’s name as well as her maternal grandfather. Ian/John means “God is Gracious” and Jeremiah means “God has uplifted.” Jeremiah was a prophet of God in the Old Testament who followed God all the days of his life.
So you see, Kelly and I named our children with purpose and with meaning. You may have stories to tell of how you got your name or a nickname. Names are powerful. They identify for us who we are. I have found there is always a reason or a story behind why a person is named.
You know, those of us who follow Jesus have a particular name. As I began to think about that name, it occurred to me that…
WE COULD HAVE BEEN CALLED “EMMANUELANS” (Matthew 1:22-23)
Matthew 1:22-23 tells us, “All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had said through the prophet: "The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel"--which means, "God with us."
Jesus had a very special and precious nickname that fit who Jesus was quite well. The name Emmanuel means “God with Us.” Why is this name significant? It is significant because it tells us that Jesus was God on Earth.
God was incarnate among us and God was living and breathing among His Creation.
God was reconciling everyone and fixing that which was broken since the Garden of Eden.
God was fulfilling old promises made to His prophets.
The verses in Matthew 1 and the name “Emmanuel” communicates to us that Jesus’ appearance was not some kind of accident, but that He came on purpose. Jesus was the plan all along. God had planned to come Himself and fix our brokenness and pay for the sins and you and I commit. I hope you realize that there is absolutely nothing anyone could have ever done to fix the human race’s issues with God. We are sinful and have gone our own way and have done this since the beginning. But Emmanuel was the plan.
It might be fitting that followers of Jesus would be called “Emmanuelans.” It would signify the promises of God that came true in Jesus and we worship a God who keeps His promises. It would signify that we follow a God who sacrificed Heaven for us. It would signify that we follow a God who lived a life as we have lived it and did so perfectly… that kind of God truly understands us. But, in the end, that is not what people who follow Jesus are called.
WHAT DOES YOUR NAME MEAN? (skip for drive-in service)
The name “Emmanuel” means “God with us.”
Do any of you know what your name means?
I have here a book that describes what different names mean. Would any of you who do not know what your name means like to know? I can easily look up your name and tell you all about it.
1) Your name comes from an old farming term which means “walks barefoot through cow chips”
2) Your name comes from a technical Latin word which means “supercallafragalisticexpialadocious”
3) Your name comes from an error of the spelling of “hairy mountain gorilla” in Dutch.
WHAT DOES IT MEAN WHEN SOMEONE KNOWS YOUR NAME?
When you arrived at church today, you received a name tag on which is printed your name. Why did we do this? Well, to be honest we have different services and sometimes it is hard to meet all people and remember all the names. This way, for once, you have the opportunity to match a face with a printed name. Our new church directory will be out soon which will also help with that, but today you have the opportunity to match faces with names in person.
Also, there is something very welcoming and warming when someone uses your name. Saying “Hey you” is fine, but saying “Hey Norbert” makes the person feel all the more welcome. Saying a person’s name makes it a personal conversation. Saying a person’s name is a surefire way to get their attention and hold it for a moment. It is also quite impressive in a social situation if someone you have met once or twice remembers your name. Why? It makes you feel important. Our name is that which identifies us and when someone uses it we feel important and makes a conversation personal. If we get back to thinking about Jesus, there is an obvious name that one of His followers could be called. Jesus’ name is in fact Jesus. So…
WE COULD HAVE BEEN CALLED “JESUSITES” (Luke 2:15-21)
Luke 2:15-21 records for us, “When the angels had left them and gone into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, "Let's go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us about." 16 So they hurried off and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby, who was lying in the manger. 17 When they had seen him, they spread the word concerning what had been told them about this child, 18 and all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds said to them. 19 But Mary treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart. 20 The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things they had heard and seen, which were just as they had been told. 21 On the eighth day, when it was time to circumcise him, he was named Jesus, the name the angel had given him before he had been conceived.”
Mary and Joseph gave their brand new baby the name given to Him by God. They named Him Jesus. Jesus is a very special name which means “God is Salvation.” The Old Testament is written in Hebrew and Jesus’ name written in the Hebrew language is Joshua. We know that Joshua was a courageous leader of the nation of Israel right after Moses. Joshua led the people into the Promised Land, was the commanding general over the battles that followed, and divided up the land among the inheritors.
Jesus’ name, “God is Salvation” shares something quite significant about the God whom we serve and informs us about His character. God is praised for His salvation all throughout Scripture.
Moses praises God in Exodus 15:2, “The LORD is my strength and my song; he has become my salvation. He is my God, and I will praise him, my father's God, and I will exalt him.” Moses had just seen the Red Sea parted and God washed away the onslaught of enemies with the rushing waters of the sea. David sang to the Lord when he was delivered from Saul and his enemies, “The LORD is my rock, my fortress and my deliverer; my God is my rock, in whom I take refuge, my shield and the horn of my salvation. He is my stronghold, my refuge and my savior-- from violent men you save me. I call to the LORD, who is worthy of praise, and I am saved from my enemies” (2 Samuel 22:2-4). Solomon, Isaiah, Jeremiah, Paul, Titus, the writer of Hebrews, Peter, and John all extol God as the bringer of salvation.
It might be fitting that followers of Jesus would be called “Jesusites.” It would signify all that we praise God for and what He has saved us from. He saves us from guilt and freely gives us forgiveness. He saves us from powerlessness and gives us strength. He saves us from envy and gives us contentment. He saves us from sorrow and gives us inexplicable joy. He saves us from the absolute worst parts of ourselves and makes us a new creation. The salvation from God is certainly something we want to be known by, but in the end, that is not what people who follow Jesus are called.
NAMES OF GROUPS
Groups of followers of Jesus are called many different things. Catholics. Protestants. Baptists. Bretheren. Presbyterians. Methodists. Evangelicals. Charismatics. Lutherans. Anglicans. Pentecostals. Orthodox. Messianic Jews. Adventists. Reformed. There are more names for groups than we have time to list or even explain. Names of churches vary throughout the world. Why are there so many different names of groups all within the same religion? Differences in the name have to do with how the church is governed, differing founders, differing practices, and even sometimes different beliefs. Presbyterians are organized into presbyteries. Lutherans follow the thought and teachings of Martin Luther and are divided into synods. Methodists follow the method developed by John Wesley and are divided into conferences. Pentecostals believe heavily in the expression and investigation of spiritual gifts given at Pentecost.
To be honest, if you put two people in a room, you will end up with two different ways to do just about anything. Add more people and vast amounts of time and people tend to disagree and divide themselves into groups. But none of the names we mentioned here will honestly do as the name that followers of Jesus should be known by. These are all labels that we add to our identities to define our faith. None of these are what followers of Jesus should be known by because most of the time they describe things or ideas or ways of doing things that at times get in the way of the Gospel.
You know, as I think about it…
WE COULD HAVE BEEN CALLED “WAYISTS” (Acts 9:1-2; Acts 19:8-10)
Unlike the other titles I have mentioned, this name for followers of Jesus appears in the Bible (after a fashion). The Book of Acts in chapter 9 and in chapter 19 describes followers of Jesus with a unique name. Acts 9:1-2 states, “Meanwhile, Saul was still breathing out murderous threats against the Lord's disciples. He went to the high priest and asked him for letters to the synagogues in Damascus, so that if he found any there who belonged to the Way, whether men or women, he might take them as prisoners to Jerusalem.” Acts 19:8-10 also says, “Paul entered the synagogue and spoke boldly there for three months, arguing persuasively about the kingdom of God. But some of them became obstinate; they refused to believe and publicly maligned the Way. So Paul left them. He took the disciples with him and had discussions daily in the lecture hall of Tyrannus. This went on for two years, so that all the Jews and Greeks who lived in the province of Asia heard the word of the Lord.”
I absolutely love this name for followers of Jesus because I can immediately pick out where it came from. I immediately think of John 14:6 in which Jesus says about Himself, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” Being part of the Way or being called a Wayist communicates unequivocally that Jesus is the only way to God, the only way to Heaven, and has the only path to salvation. Acts 4:12 says, “Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to men by which we must be saved.” Jesus is the only way.
Why is this important? To be honest, it is important because there are well meaning individuals, false teachers, and ignorant folks in the world who believe that all paths lead to God or that in the end all people will get to Heaven no matter what. This simply is not the case. Jesus is it. He is the only path provided to Heaven and the life that God has designed for us.
It is a narrow path.
It is a specific road.
It is a designed journey.
It is a marked out race.
It might be fitting that followers of Jesus would be called “Wayists,” perhaps more than any other name we have talked about today. It would signify the way God has set down for us to follow Him. I like that, but in the end, this is not the name by which followers of Jesus are known. So what name are we known by? What name are those known by who have taken Jesus as their Lord and Savior? What name defines us?
WE ARE CALLED “CHRISTIANS” (Acts 11:19-26)
Acts 11:19-26 tells us, “Now those who had been scattered by the persecution in connection with Stephen traveled as far as Phoenicia, Cyprus and Antioch, telling the message only to Jews. Some of them, however, men from Cyprus and Cyrene, went to Antioch and began to speak to Greeks also, telling them the good news about the Lord Jesus. The Lord's hand was with them, and a great number of people believed and turned to the Lord. News of this reached the ears of the church at Jerusalem, and they sent Barnabas to Antioch. When he arrived and saw the evidence of the grace of God, he was glad and encouraged them all to remain true to the Lord with all their hearts. He was a good man, full of the Holy Spirit and faith, and a great number of people were brought to the Lord. Then Barnabas went to Tarsus to look for Saul, and when he found him, he brought him to Antioch. So for a whole year Barnabas and Saul met with the church and taught great numbers of people. The disciples were called Christians first at Antioch.”
The term Christian is one that means “follower of Christ.” The title Christ that follows Jesus’ name is not His last name, but a name that signifies further who He truly was. Christ means “Anointed One.” It tells others that Jesus is the promised Messiah or Deliverer that was spoken about in the Old Testament. To be honest, the title Christ and the name Christian carries with it all the meanings of the other names we discussed and so much more.
The name “Christ” signifies that Jesus was the “Anointed One” and was God on Earth.
The name “Christ” signifies that Jesus was the Savior.
The name “Christ” signifies that Jesus was the one way provided by God.
The name “Christian” denotes that the person who bears it is a follower of Jesus and seeks to conform his or her life to that which Jesus commanded and taught. The key question for today is: HOW WELL DO YOU WEAR THE NAME “CHRISTIAN”?
The deacons are going to come forward at this time and will be handing out a name tag. On this name tag is the name “Christian.” You have your name tag on which tells others your name given to you by your family. This name tag tells others about you in relation to your Lord and Savior. The thing is, I don’t want you to put on your name tag right now. It is so very easy to be a Christian inside the walls of the church. It is easy to put on your Christian mask and act and sound the way you should while you are here.
Out there is where it matters.
Out there with the waiters and waitresses is where it matters.
Out there at your work is where it matters.
Out there when someone cuts you off in traffic is where it matters.
Out there at your child’s school is where it matters.
Out there with your boyfriend or girlfriend is where it matters.
Out there on Friday night is where it matters.
Out there with your crazy neighbor across the street is where it matters.
Out there is where it matters.
Do not put this name tag on now. Put it on out there.
CONCLUSION
