Anonymous - Part 3, by Pastor Rob Ketterling
All right. I am going to date myself right now, but I want to let you know that when I was younger I grew up watching a show called Romper Room. How many want to identify and say you saw that show? All right, all right. 1953, roughly, to 1994, Romper Room was on TV, so that's why half the church didn't even know about it right there. But I grew up with that. And if you didn't know about Romper Room, it was like preschool back on PBS or something like that. We only had about four channels back then. You'd watch this preschool program, and the teacher in Romper Room at the end would take out her
Little mirror with just a frame, and she would say, "I see David," and you would be waiting for your name. How many know what I'm talking about? She'd say, "I see Susie and David," and so you're thinking she saw a boy and a girl. And then she'd say, "I see Pat," and you're like that could be a boy or a girl, we're not sure. Then she'd say, "I see this one and this," and you'd be waiting for your name. And then she was like, "I see Ron," and I was like, oh, so close. How many know?
And then if she ever said your name, right, if she ever said your name it was like this endorphin rush, like, "She sees me!" I mean we just weren't that technologically advanced, you know. Didn't realize she couldn't see me through the TV. But there is just something about the lady on Romper Room saying your name. And there is something about it when somebody says your name. There is something about it when they move past "Hey, buddy, champ, friend, pal," you know, "you." And there is something about it when they say your name when you realize you are not anonymous.
Sometimes it can surprise you when somebody says your name. You're like, "Wow, they knew my name. I didn't even know they knew my name. I better learn their name. I didn't know their name." There is something special about that.
I want to let you know in this series you're not anonymous. You have a name.
God knows it. I hope you're realizing this, that God loves you, he knows you by name.
And, of course, he gives you special names. Last week Pastor Darin talked about that. Preached a wonderful sermon about God having special names for you, and he described them to you and he gave those to you. Some of the names are so amazing and the meaning just really shows how much God loves you with those endearing names. It really has to do with the fact that God forgives you of your sins. God has changed you, and he wants you to know how much you are loved, and God changes our names. He takes us from sinner to saint. How many know that's a good name change? That's a really good name change.
It’s interesting, how many know that Hollywood people, they change their names? They change their names because they want to be cool. Like if your name is Alexander Leach, you don't want to be known by that. You'd rather be known by Cary Grant. How many know that's way cooler than Alexander Leach. Or Demetria Guynes. How many know that Demi Moore just sounds way cooler than that one. Or Reginald Dwight; Elton John. How many know his name is Reginald? He looks like a Reginald anyways. But Caryn Johnson. Caryn Johnson, you know who that is? Anybody know who that is? Whoopi Goldberg. Caryn Johnson. She went from Norwegian to Jewish. You know, Johnson to Goldberg. Then here's one; Paul Hewson. I think I said his name right. Paul Hewson, but you know him as Bono. How many know Bono is way cooler? That's just way cooler.
So anyway, there is name changes that happen to change from cool, but God changes you not because you're cool; he changes your name because you are changed.
You are changed. You're different. When God changes your name, he changes you and he says there is something different. There is a trajectory that's different about you. It is not stardom. It's actually, "You are a child of God. You're a saint now. You're with me and
I'm your God and we are in a relationship."
We are going to look at some of those name changes. And I just think of Abram being change to Abraham. I think of Sarai being changed to Sarah. I think of Jacob being changed to Israel. I think of Saul being changed to Paul. And there is all sorts of name changes in there. There is all sorts of name changes in the Bible.
And in the ancient times, you've got to understand that someone's name really meant their trajectory. Their name really was their trajectory. And whenever somebody would name them, there was great pressure upon the person naming, because they would name them either something they saw in them, something prophetically they were told to name about them, something they hoped for them, something they believed for them. And so naming was very critical. It wasn't just what sounds good with our name or what has the appropriate syllables. There was a great intention to this. It was something about God has a future for you, and something could be either good or bad with a person's name, so there was a lot of pressure. And if you name them, you were saying, "I control their identity. I control their destiny, and that's why I'm giving them this name."
So when you look in the Bible and you see these name changes, we are going to look at a few of them. In Genesis 17, God changes the name of Abram to Abraham. It is very significant God does that. He says, "I know your name, and I have a new name for you. I'm going to change your name. You are not anonymous. Not only that, I've got a better name for you.
In Genesis 17:4-6 it says, “This is my covenant with you: I will make you the father of a multitude of nations! 5 What’s more, I am changing your name. It will no longer be Abram. Instead, you will be called Abraham, for you will be the father of many nations. 6 I will make you extremely fruitful. Your descendants will become many nations, and kings will be among them!
So God says, "I know your name Abram means exalted father. It means exalted father, and you have no kids."
Can you imagine that? You're going around, "What's your name?" "Abram."
"How many kids you got?" "None."
"Really? Who named you?" You know, "Should've named you Nada."
You know, all right, so he's like all the time every time he's like embarrassed.
Like, Abram, you know, Abram. Yep, exalted father. No kids, all right. No kids. We got none. And you can imagine even when people would be introduced to him, they are like, "Really? No kids. Wow. And your name is that. Wonder why they named you that?"
So God says, "Guess what? I'm not only going to change your name, I'm going to give you another higher title that's going to be Abraham. I'm going to give you one of the letters from my name, and I'm going to call you Abraham, and I'm going to tell you you are father of many. You're not just exalted father; you are father of many."
And don't worry, I'm not going to break out into the Father Abraham song, all
right?
He says, "I've got a new plan for you. I've got a new name for you. You're going to be the father of many."
And right now, if you're in church and you're listening to this and you know Jesus as your Lord and Savior, you are part of the promise that God gave to Abraham. He said, "Out of you, your descendants will be so numerous, it will be like the sands of the shore, the stars in the sky. From you something amazing is going to happen." God knew he was going to send Jesus through Abraham's line. And he said, "You watch. All these people are going to go to heaven some day." All these people, you, I, all around the world
billions of people around the planet right now are going to heaven. He's saying, "Guess what, Abraham, there is your downline, there is your downline. There is your heritage. You are the father of many." And I'm so glad that God had an amazing plan for Abraham and changed his name to Abraham.
But it is interesting, he changes Sarai's name to Sarah. Now, this is very significant, because many times the men in the Bible received name changes and the women didn't. But God, with the first two right here with this whole blessing on them, saying, "You don't understand what's going to happen through you. Abraham, that's your new name. I have blessed you so much. As a matter of fact, I'm blessing you so much I'm giving your wife a new name, and she is in on this blessing, and together the two of you, incredible blessing."
And she goes from the name Sarai to Sarah. And Sarai meant my princess, which was Abraham's claim. So he was saying, "Her name is Sarai. She is my princess."
God says, "Guess what. She is not just Sarai, she is Sarah. She is exalted princess. She's my princess," is what God was saying. Wow! As a matter of fact, the name means so strong, it really even means like -- I know this will sound weird -- but it
means -- maybe our British friends and Australian friends will identify with this a little more -- it means queen mother. Means queen mother. Get ready, she is like on the throne. This is amazing. This woman is Queen Mother Special Princess of God.
Can you imagine Sarah? Can you imagine the swag she walked with? Like, "I was Sarai, his princess, and he was Abram, you know, exalted father. And we have no kids. And now he's like this great amazing father of many and, guess what, I am Queen Mother. You can call me Q for short." How many know, she probably had some swag going on. How many know when God gives you a new name, you get a little bit of, really, is that my name? And I can imagine when she had her child and then all of a sudden her son
was born, I can just imagine she was like, "Wow, it's true, it's true, it's true. I'm living up to the name that God gave me." Amazing! Amazing when he changes the name.
He changes the name of Jacob to Israel also in Genesis, in Genesis 32. If you don't know the story, in Genesis 32, Jacob is wrestling, wrestling with either an angel or a manifestation of God. He's wrestling with a heavenly force. He's wrestling either in the dream or actually physically wrestling. Something is going on. There is a spiritual struggle and a change going on, and in this wrestling match Jacob won't let go of God. He won't let go of him. In Genesis 32, starting with verse 26,
But Jacob replied, “I will not let you go unless you bless me.” 27 The man asked him, “What is your name?”
“Jacob,” he answered.
28 Then the man said, “Your name will no longer be Jacob, but Israel, because you have struggled with God and with humans and have overcome.”
Now I want to let you understand this. The name Jacob actually meant heel holder or schemer or cheater, somebody that cheats. Because he was a twin and he was born behind his brother, Esau, and the Bible says that he was actually holding his heel, and so they named him Heel Holder. Like, his brother came out first, and he was like, "No, no, no, you don't." And he was almost like, "I'm trying to get ahold of you." He lived his whole life like "I'm trying to get ahold of you. I'm trying to get ahold of you." So his parents thought that was interesting that he was holding his brother's heel, so they called him Heel Holder or Cheater.
Can you imagine? "What's your name?" "Cheater."
"All right. Let's keep an eye on Cheater. Cheater just signed up for men's ministry. Let's watch him, all right."
So he's wrestling in this, and he's saying, "I need a new start. I need a new start. The way I've been doing life hasn't been working for me. I'm ready to face my brother. I think this isn't doing to go down good. I've always lived my life as a cheater and a schemer. I've always looked for an angle, God. It's always been me. It's been me trying to figure it out." All of a sudden Jacob is like, "I can't figure it out. I can't figure it out. I'm
going to meet Esau, and every time I draw up a plan I get killed in the plan. I don't figure it out."
And so as he is wrestling with God, God takes care of it and supernaturally comes in and changes the heart of Esau so he doesn't get angry at his brother. It is a God thing. God says, "Guess what, your name is going to be different from this point."
And I want to let you know this: When God is wrestling with him and he says, "What's your name?" it wasn't like a deal like, "All right, what's your name?" The context, the way it is written is like this: God had him in a hold, and he said "What's your name?"
He said, "I'm going to keep wrestling." "What's your name?"
"I'm going to keep wrestling." "What's your name?"
It was like crying uncle. It was like crying uncle. And God was trying to break him down and get him into a spot where he'd go, "My name is Cheater, Schemer, Struggler. I tried to do it all myself. I give! Uncle! Uncle! It's over! Uncle! I need you! I'm not letting go of you until you change my name, because I can't do this."
Do you grab this? And all of a sudden God is like, "Good. Now your name is Israel, one that wrestles with God." And not wrestles like a fighter. Here is what he meant. Like, you have wrestled with God and you now realize that you are connected to God and God is not going to let you go, and that you are going to have to depend on God's strength
and that you are bound to God. Now I give you a name that says wrestler, companion, arm-in-arm, in the strength of God. That's your new name.
Wow! Wow! Can you imagine? He gets up from that that day, like, wow!
Probably blew him away while he is going to meet his brother and he is still kind of running his own scheme. You don't realize this. He is actually running his own scheme. He's sending part of the animals forward and this part of his family. He's still scheming. And Esau's heart is all changed, because God has come in on the scene. He's still scheming.
This is interesting. Throughout the rest of Genesis, the Bible changes between Jacob and Israel, Jacob and Israel, Jacob and Israel. How many know this guy was struggling to live up to his new name? Schemer and Bound to God and Schemer and Bound to God. Like the writer of Genesis, Moses, is just letting us know there is a struggle for Israel to live up to his new name.
These are beautiful, beautiful name changes going on. He has to live up to his new name. It's beautiful. Just thinking an interesting thought. God changed his name
for him because God had a better future for him. God changed his name because he had a better future for him. And God changes your name because he has a better future for you.
Now, there is other name changes. Saul to Paul. There is a New Testament one for you. You're like is he still doing this? Here's one in the New Testament.
Here's the interesting thing, we don't have the text like God is saying, "Saul, your name is Paul." Okay?
Saul just renamed himself, all right? So Saul is like, "I don't like what my name means and where I'm going. And Saul used to be a killer, and I'm not a killer anymore. I bring the life-giving message of Jesus Christ everywhere I go. I'm not a killer; I'm a giver of life. So I'm going to change my name." And he changes his name from Saul to Paul. Now somewhere in the start of his ministry he does this to show his new nature.
He says, "I'm no longer a killer; I'm a life-giver. Not Saul. It's Paul." He starts his new work.
It's Interesting, he takes on a Roman name. Why? Because he's going to go work amongst the Romans and the Gentiles. He's like, "I'm taking one of their names, all right?" So he takes a new name that fits into their culture. He says, "I've got the victory.
This name will signify the victory that God got over me." And it is interesting. Grab this. Saul means desired. So his name was Desired, and he changes it to Paul, which means little. Isn't that interesting? He says, "Guess what? I used to be desired, educated, smart, leader, successful. And I found Jesus, and guess who I am? I am little, insignificant, nothing." And that's why you can see him saying, "I am nothing. Christ is everything. I have learned in everything it's all about him. He must increase. I'm nothing." That's how Paul could just say, "It's all about Jesus. I renamed myself Little. I'm nothing." Wow!
These are powerful, powerful name changes. And I hope we grab hold of it that spiritually God has renamed you. We don't need to start something in our church where everybody renames themselves, all right? Let's just be clear, all right? Some of you are getting so excited, like, "I'm so in. I'm now Paul."
All right, you know, I just had a vision of this. Like, I call for Conner, "Connor,
come here."
He's like, "No, I'm no longer -- my name is Mephibosheth." You know, I'm like, "No, it's not."
"This is my brother,Titus Philemon, and my mother, Mary Sarah."
Okay, we are not going to rename ourselves, all right? But God has renamed you. God has renamed you. God has named you Child of God.
It's interesting, as I was studying this and looking at the people that had names, this came up to me. Do you realize the only person in the Bible that really doesn't
have a name to describe himself is somebody that's so demonically possessed, he doesn't say a name, he says a number. Do you realize that? Catch this. All these other people have names and they have name changes, and the one person in the Bible that doesn't even have a name, he has a number, is in Mark, Chapter 5. Let me read it.
It says, 2 When Jesus got out of the boat, a man with an impure spirit came from the tombs to meet him. 3 This man lived in the tombs, and no one could bind him anymore, not even with a chain. 4 For he had often been chained hand and foot, but he tore the chains apart and broke the irons on his feet. No one was strong enough to subdue him. 5 Night and day among the tombs and in the hills he would cry out and cut himself with stones.
6 When he saw Jesus from a distance, he ran and fell on his knees in front of him. 7 He shouted at the top of his voice, “What do you want with me, Jesus, Son of the Most High God? In God’s name don’t torture me!” 8 For Jesus had said to him, “Come out of this man, you impure spirit!”
9 Then Jesus asked him, “What is your name?”
“My name is Legion,” he replied, “for we are many.” 10 And he begged Jesus again and again not to send them out of the area.
Now, Jesus cast the legion of demons out, but it's interesting he said, "My name is Legion. My name is number, 6,000 there are so many." As a matter of fact he was saying, "Every name in the Roman demonic deity and all that's going on is me. There is so many in here, I am a number." Wow! He said, "I am a number." And that's how people
feel when they are bound in sin. That's how people feel when they are in pain and struggling. You feel anonymous, like a number like this guy. He says, "I am a number. That's all I am. I am Number."
And Jesus is like, "No, you're not. Number, you get out of him! I cast you
out!" And then Jesus sets him free from the bondage of a name that he grabbed. He sets him free from the bondage of a name that he grabbed or that grabbed ahold of him.
And let me tell you this: Jesus will set you free from the names that have grabbed you in life. You are not loser, unwanted, accident, forgotten, idiot, mistake, sleaze, failure. You are none of those names. If those names have attached to you, Jesus sets you free.
I have no idea what this guy's name is, and it's probably one of the things that irritates me the most about this series is not knowing this guy's name. I wish I'd known this guy's name and they said his name was Demetrius or something. I wish we could go to heaven and meet him. He might be the only guy in heaven that will be like, "Hi, my name is Alexander."
"Hi, nice to meet you."
"You know, formerly known as Legion." You know, he might be the only guy that says that.
But Jesus set him free from the names that grabbed him, and Jesus sets you free from the names that have grabbed you. Do not let them hold you anymore. As a matter of fact, at the end of the service, if you need to be set free from a name that you have grabbed hold of or has grabbed hold of you, please see a prayer team member.
Break that name in Jesus' name. The name of Jesus will break the name that has wrongfully attached itself to you.
Now, it's amazing, with you, you have a new name. You have a new name. Revelation 2:17, it's a beautiful, beautiful scripture. 17 Whoever has ears, let them hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To the one who is victorious, I will give some of the hidden manna. I will also give that person a white stone with a new name written on it, known only to the one who receives it.
And Jesus is saying, "Guess what. At the end of the days, I'm going to give you a white stone."
You've got to understand this. I have a little stone up here with me. And they would have a white stone. Sometimes it would be a ticket. Your ticket would be drawn on a white stone and would give you entrance. And so that could apply to Revelation, saying you have the white stone ticket to make it into heaven. Sometimes in their culture what they would do for a gladiator that was a prisoner and would have to fight, once he had fought enough battles, they would give him a stone. And I wrote on here my name and the date that I was set free in Jesus; September 7, 1973, at a Billy Graham crusade. But the gladiator would be given a white stone with their name on it and the date that they were set free. And so Jesus is saying in Revelation, "You're going to get a white stone. I know the day that you were set free and the day you became a child of mine." Those that overcome are going to get a white stone with their name on it. But there is one more thing. That edict there was coming from a king. A king used a white stone. And he says, "Guess what. The King declares new name." The authority of Jesus, the authority that he has as King of kings and Lord of lords, he says, "New name. New name. New name. Forgiven, Saint, Holy, Righteous." Wow! And he says, "I'm going to give you a new name." It's a beautiful thing.
Isaiah 62:2 says, You will be called by a new name that the mouth of the Lord will bestow. God is saying, "I'm going to give you a new name and I'm going to put it there very clear for you." So God gives us new names.
Couple thoughts real quick. If he gives us new names -- and he does -- it means you have freedom from your old self. You have freedom from your own self. God takes away -- and I love this -- God takes away your shame names. Think about that for a second. God takes away your shame names. Alcoholic, unwed mother, drug addict, abuser. Wow, God takes away your shame names. Adulterer. He takes all the shame. Is
that not amazing? He says, "Guess what, you have freedom from your own self. You are not that name anymore." It's beautiful. He says, "If I'm giving you a new name, you have new purpose. You have new purpose. You are now Child of God. I give you a new purpose. You are here on this earth with a new name, new purpose."
It means you have a new challenge. You know why? Because you have to live up to the name. We need to start living up to the name Christian. I didn't get any amens at Apple Valley. All right, I'm just going to say that right now. I didn't get any amens. We have to live up to that name. The Church is not doing a very good job of living up to the name. It's easy to live up to the name Loser. It's easy to live up to the name Lukewarm.
But to live up to the name Son of God, Daughter of God, Child of God, Christian, let's live up to the name. You know what the beautiful thing is? You don't have to do it in your own strength. God gives you the grace to live up to your name. He gives you the grace to live up to your name. Let's live up to our name.
And here's the other thing. A new name is a guarantee that God is with you.
His new name on you, you know what it says? Ownership, relationship and authority. In the Old Testament, God was talking to His people, and he says, "You know what your name is?
Your named is Married. Married as in wedded to me. Your name is Married." And what was he saying to them? He was saying, "Anybody messes with you, they mess with me. Your name is Married. I'm your protector, your covering, your source. We are in relationship. I'm not letting you go. Your name is Married. We are in this together. I am with you."
How many know that when you start to doubt God, you have fear. You think, "Where are you, God? Do you even know where I am?" How many know fear is very real. It's very real. You start thinking, "He's forgotten me. He doesn't know where I am. Is he in relationship with me at all? Where is he? Has he forgotten me?"
And that's why God says in Isaiah 49:15-16, “Can a woman forget her nursing child, and not have compassion on the son of her womb? Surely they may forget, yet I will not forget you. 16 See, I have inscribed you... Get this. I have inscribed you on the palms of My hands. He says, "I have inscribed you on the palms of my hands."
He said it to the nation of Israel. They were wondering like, "Did you forget about us? Are we gone? Are we just an afterthought? I mean we see your blessing over here."
He says, "You know what? I didn't forget about you. I haven't forgotten about you. As a matter of fact, I wrote your name in the palm of my hand." Now, just think about this for a second. God says, "I wrote your name in the palm of my hand." That means that, you know, you are inked and linked. Think about that. You are inked and linked. But better than that, God's like, "It's not tattoo. You can't laser remove it." He says what? "You are called and carved." He says, "I called you. We're connected and now you're carved." He says better than that. "You are endeared to me and you are engraved on me." On God.
God's own hand engraved your name in his hand. He says, "You are loved and locked in right here. Not going anywhere. I looked at each hand." And it says you are engraved on His hands, both hands. He's saying, "I see your name everywhere. I see it. You are there. You are there."
Now, let me say this. God doesn't make any mistakes about the names he engraves on his hands. All right? Some of you are like, "Are you sure? Am I on there? Is it really me? Am I there?" He doesn't make any mistakes. Why? Because he did it.
Have you ever seen a failed tattoo where they spell it wrong? You are like, "Oh, that's bad. You should've got your money back."
God is like, "I didn't make a mistake. I didn't delegate the engraving out to somebody else. I did it. I engraved your name on my hand."
As a matter of fact, it's interesting, I was in Washington DC with a friend of mine, Anthony Hilden, and we were in Washington DC. He said, "Hey, I've got to show you this." And we went by the Viet Nam Memorial, and he said, "Take a look." He said, "This is the Viet Nam Memorial." It's sobering. It's incredible to see it. And he says, "Let's go find panel 14E, line 108, and I want to show you something." As a matter of fact, I think we have a picture of it we can show you. He said, "There, see that name Andrew J. Hilden?" He goes, "That's my dad." He goes, "He's on there as having died and he is living today." And he said, "It's a mistake. They engraved his name by mistake."
And I said, "What do you mean?"
He said, "Well, he was so wounded, that the day he was wounded they put it as the day he died, and he actually went to the hospital and lived. And because it said his date of death was that date, they accidentally engraved his name on the wall because they had thought that he had died." So he said, "That's on the wall." Now that's a mistake.
That's a mistake. At least in the right way, you know, like, all right, he is living. So he said, "They made a mistake."
How many know God can't make a mistake? God is not like, "Did I put you on there by mistake? Oh, no, sorry, I didn't mean to put you." He engraved you. How many know that when he engraved your name, he knows what he's doing. He says, "I'll never forget you. There's no mistakes. Nobody chiseled in there except for me. I did it. I chiseled your name in there." That's how much he loves you. He said, "I would rather
carve you in my hands than forget you." Grab that. "I would rather carve you in my hands than forget you." Wow! That's how much he loves you. That's how much you are not anonymous.
When God looks at his hands, you know what he says? He says, "I see Bethany and I see Mark and Emily and Dennis and Brandon and Amber and RC and Megan
and Dave and Gary and Katrina and Dave and Lynn and Mariah and John and Nancy and Isabel and Bethany and Kristen and Laura and Jill and Sam and Renae and Clinton and Portia and Reed and Chase and Hunter and Dartanian and Aaron and Sareesh." He's saying, "I see these people. I see their names. I see their names."
And if I forgot your name, he didn't. This is not like Romper Room. Your name is there! Your name is there! And he's not missing it. And every time he looks at it, he sees. I was thinking, how big are his hands? He has got big hands, because the whole world is in his hands. How many know? He has got big hands. And all that call upon the name of the Lord will be saved. So he's got room for whosoever will. And whosoever will call upon the name of the Lord will be saved, and your name is written in His hands, and He will never ever forget you. Don't let the enemy steal that from you. You are not forgotten.
You are not anonymous. You are loved. You are named. And he wrote your name in the palms of his hands.
So, Lord, I pray right now. I pray right now that we would realize that we are not anonymous. Our names are written in your hands. I even pray at all of our campuses, if people don't know you as Lord and Savior, they don't know if their name is written in your hand, that at the end of the service they'd find their way to a prayer team member and they would give their life to you, Lord Jesus, so their name could be written in the palms of your hands.
Lord, I pray against the fear and the lie of the enemy that we are forgotten, that we are no good, that God doesn't even remember our name. Not only does he remember our name, our name is engraved in His hands. So we throw that lie back to the enemy.
And, Lord, I pray right now that we'd all realize we can live up to the names you give us because of the grace of God. We no longer live to the names and the numbers
that were attached to us. We live to the name and number that you attach to us. We believe that, we receive that, and we pledge to live up to it by the grace of God.
In Jesus' name we pray. Amen. Amen.
