Sermon on Luke : 15-21
In the name of god the father, god the son and god the holy spirit,
amen.
“What’s in a name?”
Shakespeare’s Romeo once asked Juliet. "What’s in a name? That which
we call a rose by any other name would smell as sweet , The answer
which Shakespeare assumed is probably the same answer you would
find prevalent today. Most people would say that there is really not
much in a name. After all, a rose would smell as sweet no matter what
you called it. So, what’s in a name?, Do names matter then? Or are they
unimportant?
I found this story titled “hey babe”, here goes, Gwen, a SS teacher for 4
year olds found that out when a little boy showed up for her class for the
first time without any name tag. Gwen managed to get his first name,
but couldn't find out his last name. "Brian, what's your daddy's name?"
she asked. "Daddy," he replied. She tried again, "Brian, what's your
mommy's name?" "Mommy," he answered. Suddenly she realized
exactly how she could get the answer she needed. "Brian, what does
your daddy call your mommy?" His face lit up. With a grin and a deep
voice, he replied, "Hey, Babe."
In the Bible, a name has great significance. A name carries with it the
essence of a person’s character. Your name defines what kind of person
you are. But a name also contains more than just the essence of a
person’s character. The meaning of the name Jesus was not lost on the
people of the day. They knew what it meant, they knew that it referred
back to the Old Testament promise of a Savior. This child, fully human
and yet fully God would be the Messiah, the Christ, the Saviour. Yet
when he arrived he did not fit the image they wanted of him, they
expected a military leader on horseback with an army. Sadly this Christ
did not fit the bill, so off with him was the solution.
So does the name of Jesus mean anything?, does it hold any authority or
power? Philippians 2:9-11 says “ 9 Therefore God exalted him even more
highly and gave him the name that is above every other name, 10 so that
at the name given to Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on
earth and under the earth, 11 and every tongue should confess that
Jesus Christ is Lord”.
A Name gives all the power and authority of the person who carries that
name to anyone who claims it.“Everyone who calls on the name of the
Lord shall be saved (v 21). Be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ,” (v
38) Peter preached. What did this mean to the people who heard it?
What did calling on The Name and being baptized in The Name of Jesus
Christ really entail? Through the next few chapters of the book of Acts,
we find miracles being performed in Jesus’ name and the apostles
preaching in Jesus’ name, to the point that the religious leaders start to
get worried.
When Peter and John are brought before the high priest and other
leaders for healing a man, the high priest’s only question is this: “By
what power or by what name are you doing these things?” (4:7) Even
the high priest recognizes that whatever the apostles do in Jesus’ name,
they are doing it by Jesus’ power. Peter and John answered by saying
“let it be known to all of you, and to all the people of Israel, that this
man is standing before you in good health by the name of Jesus Christ of
Nazareth, whom you crucified and whom God raised from the dead. …
There is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under
heaven given among mortals by which we must be saved.” (Acts 4:10,
12)
And here’s something interesting about names in the New Testament.
Beginning in the book Acts, the twelve disciples are no longer called
“disciples.” For the first time in the Bible, these twelve are called
“apostles.” The whole community of believers may be referred to as
disciples, but the Twelve have been given a new name. Their name has
changed to reflect what Jesus asks them to do. It reflects the character
of whom they have become since Jesus sent them out after his
resurrection. A disciple is a student, a follower, but an apostle is one
who is sent. We who follow Jesus are also sent by Jesus, into the world,
to make more disciples.
And there’s one more important name change that we find in Acts:
They’d called themselves “followers of The Way” in Jerusalem, or
disciples of Jesus or apostles of Christ. They’d called themselves
“believers” and all these names were good ones, drawing on the essence
of what it means to follow Jesus. But this growing community of faith
had to suffer persecution, be scattered like seed, be planted and take
root outside Jerusalem, outside Judaism, before it could come up with a
name that would stick. It was among the Gentiles in Antioch, eleven
chapters into the book of Acts, that the followers of Jesus were first
named “Christian.”
I have heard people say I am a born christian but that doesn’t make you
a christian, its When we become followers of Christ by choice when our
name changes and with it our character changes. We become better
versions of ourselves. And we can call upon the power and authority of
the Son of God, who gives us that new name. We take on the essence of
Christ’s character as we identify ourselves with him. What name
describes the essence of who you are as a child of God? By what power
and under what authority do your actions identify you? Claiming the
name “Christian” is no light matter. In some parts of the world, even
today, claiming that name can put your life in danger.
To call ourselves by a name IS TO IDENTIFY OUR ALLEGIANCE. The word
“Christian” has the “ian” ending which means “belonging to”, A
“Christian” is someone who belongs to Christ. Therefore our names are
there to IDENTIFY OUR ALLEGIANCE, OUR LOYALTY. We call ourselves
"Christians," and in doing so we identify with Christ. THE CENTRAL
TRUTH in regard to names is that names are both symbolic and
significant. They tell us who we are. They identify our allegiance and
puts forward who we are loyal to.
Let us ponder on this as we usher in another new year, that we may
reflect the change in us that Christ has brought forth that our lives may
be examples to the world.
