What's In A Name?
now naming a child I think is one of the
most difficult processes you can
undertake I actually speak on behalf of
all men when I say that naming a child
is harder than the child birth itself
dad told me here's the criteria here
here are all the things I think you need
to think of before you name your child
you need to give your child a name that
they're not going to be picked on for
but then also a name that's unique cool
you know we don't need any more Jones in
the world you are you want your
grandparents to like the name so both
sets of grandparents that is you want to
like the name yourself you don't want
the name to be too long in case they
kind of a fill it out in the form you
want the name to indicate something
about your culture or heritage so if
you're Lebanese you want your name to be
Lebanese
and you want to a new one a name that
indicates something about your your
child's future personality you've got to
get all those things right it was
actually a Sydney Morning Herald article
saying that parents are actually
suffering from stress just over naming
their child but there's this other
article recently that I found in the
paper and just kind of suited this
passage really well it will come up on
the screen is a girl named Caitlin it
definitely doesn't have the traditional
spelling so her parents love the name
Caitlin they wanted the name Caitlin but
they replace the 8 with the Roman
numerals for 8
which which to be fair I think is genius
I think that's the smartest thing I've
ever seen anyone do with a name and the
cool thing is like think about that's a
minecraft name too
that's true and so I started thinking
about all the possible like all the
crazy names that people have named that
name their kids or what people have
named themselves sometimes so the next
photo I had this couple and these two
were made to be together I think it
would be a sin to neglect the
opportunity to - that name and so his
last name is Berger her first name is
McDonald and so we have McDonald burger
we saw Kate them with an 8 but the next
photo shows Jennifer with an 8 that's
her legal name Jennifer numeral eight
completely legal apparently and the cool
thing with her too is that she doesn't
have to go through the alphabet when she
comes up with doesn't have to go through
numbers when she has to come up with her
email username just start with the 8
there's another one I have I couldn't
find a photo for you guys but um her
name is a Dasha and she's quite that's
quite a normal like name I like the name
of Dasha
except the spelling is a - a like
literally special symbol - a and this
last the last one that you guys saw for
about 30 seconds there is this kid named
Jedi Knight the chosen one for sure he
does have an Luke Skywalker appeal about
him but but why our names so important
why do they really matter you know some
of the greatest athletes in the world
change their name so Tiger Woods's real
name is Eldrick Karl Lewis's is an
Olympic runner his real name is Fredrik
and Muhammad Ali is real name real name
is Casias Marsellus name say something
about who you are and names let people
know something about you and then a name
is really all you have
you know as you guys get older and your
taste in music matures you'll all come
to the conclusion that country music is
the only thing worth listening to
yes some of you are already mature and
as you as you delve into the depths of
country music and its richness you'll
find a guy named Kenny Chesney and
here's what he says in one of his songs
the only thing you're really given is a
sunshine and your name the only thing
that you have from birth to death is
your name when you die people will only
know you by your name they will walk by
your gravestone and see your name they
won't see your ambitions your
personality they won't see your
sexuality you'll sin your face your body
shape all they'll ever see is your name
and so tonight as we look at this
passage of Scripture we ask the question
what is in a name why is a name so
important and what is God's name for you
now know it's been a couple of weeks
since we looked at Elizabeth in
Zechariah so let me refresh you a bit
this couple is an older couple
Zacharias a priest he's a very holy man
and the both of them together have been
serving the Lord for their entire lives
they're dedicated to him but there's one
issue
elizabeth is barren she she can't give
birth and now in her old age chances are
slim and for them this is meant that
they live in a great shame she hasn't
you know given given Zechariah child or
herself a child where they can pass on
the family name they haven't got someone
to look after them in their old age they
haven't produced a child that's going to
go on to bless the community Zac one day
though Zechariah's chosen to go to the
temple and burn incense to the Lord and
this is a big deal
Zechariah is a small town priest he
knows this is a big deal but during that
time the temple he's approached by an
angel
and at first as you would be he's
fearful he's scared of this angel but
the Angels come to bring a blessing to
bring good news
Elizabeth will bear a son she will in
her old age have a son and his name will
be John he will be pure and filled with
the spirit even while he is in
Elizabeth's womb he
call the people of Israel to the Lord
and Zechariah is amazed by this right
but he also doubts he says to the angel
how will I know this how can this be and
so the angel makes him mute he's unable
to talk until the birth of John and so
that leaves us where we are tonight fast
forward nine months to the birth of John
Elizabeth has been waiting for this
moment her entire life and now we need
to know something about Jewish birth
Jewish births are really public everyone
knows about them everyone's there
there's no private hospital room you
don't wait three weeks to visit you're
there as the baby's born
and we see it in this passage it says
now the time came for Elizabeth to give
birth and she bore a son and her
neighbors and relatives heard that the
Lord had shown a great mercy to her and
they rejoiced with her so we often see
childbirth is something very private a
child is owned by their parents the
child is for their parents and the
parents are for the child but in the
Jewish world it's so much more complex
than that a child is seen as a member of
the community straight away a child is
someone that the community can invest
into can help them grow up can lead them
and it's also seen as this child's going
to be the future of the community he's
going to contribute to the community in
some way but this birth here this birth
is special it's a little bit more than
that her neighbors Elizabeth neighbors
and relatives rejoice with her because
they know that this means so much for
her they know that this is this is what
she's always wanted just a child and
they're rejoicing because the Lord has
blessed her in her old age and I think
we need to be more like that you know we
have tall poppy syndrome if anything
good ever happens to someone we like to
cut them down you know what if what if
we as brothers and sisters got excited
when a friend of ours is blessed by God
what if we got so invested into the
lives of the people around us that we
could feel their happiness we could feel
their excitement we could feel their
heartache we could feel their pain I
love the way the people of God have
rallied around Elizabeth in this picture
and I wish we did the same I wish we
would rally around those who have been
blessed in certain ways instead of
trying to tear them apart or point out
something wrong in them
I wish we were United around God's
vision for the community for the world
like this community is united around
God's plan for this child
I want to rejoice with godly people and
so I thought of some some quick ways to
to do that don't get jealous get joyous
jealousy is what gives us tall poppy
syndrome so it feeds our tall poppy
syndrome so if one of your spot if one
of your friends gets a spot in the band
that you wanted praise God
he's good rejoice with your friend get
excited for them God is being worshipped
another person has a Bible study in your
school that has more people in it than
your one great praise God he's using
that person for his glory he's also
using you right people are reading the
scriptures celebrate what's happening in
your friend's life and continue to be
faithful in your group getting started
about the vision of your youth group
right get around it get excited that
you're in a church with a bunch of
Christians who love Jesus rejoice that
people are coming to Christ in this
place remove this over critical nature
we all have and let's get excited about
something for once let's get excited
that we're following Jesus together now
we see almost instantaneously after this
that the naming of the child comes into
play on the eighth day they do the
Jewish sing and they circumcise John and
then we start talking names everyone
around Elizabeth thinks it's a given
that this child's name is going to be
after his father Zechariah it would be
quite normal to think that the couple
would want to pass on their family name
to what looks to be their only son and
it's quite a normal thing in my family I
was looking so my great-grandmother's
first name was Angela my grandma's
middle name our first name was Angela my
mother's middle name is Angela and my
sister's middle name is Angela my
brother's middle name is Lawrence which
is the same as my great-grandfather so
it's quite normal to pass down
traditional a traditional family names
but what's shocking this picture is that
it's Elizabeth who objects she remembers
what the angel has said and she has
decided that she will obey God she will
call her son John the community shocked
how could she do this John isn't a
family name so they turned to Zechariah
that
zooming he'll be offended by this surely
he can't be happy that his only son
won't be receiving his name but
Zechariah in his mute state unable to
talk picks up a tablet and he Scrolls on
that tablet and he says his name is John
immediately he begins talking again
praising God his tongue is loosened his
mutinous is gone and the first thing he
does is praise God the Lord has blessed
him with the Sun and with the Sun and
his name is John now we must be thinking
why is this passage even here what is
all this kerfuffle over a name why so
much arguing over a name because I think
the real question is not what is the
name going to be but who is it that's
going to name him who will dictate the
destiny of this child who will who will
plan his future who will make his steps
let's start with option 1 the community
relatives church members friends society
all have expectations on Elizabeth and
this child they all expect that he'll be
given a family name that he'll grow up
in a godly house then he'll work that
he'll become a priest like his father
and then he will pass that on to his own
son that is the expectation and and
isn't that the same for us doesn't
society have an expectation for how you
ought to live the world tries to tell
you how to act that has these certain
protocols that you have to follow
certain ways act the world wants to name
you the world wants to decide your
destiny the world is screaming at you be
normal it says you know work hard party
hard play hard drink too early ignore
your parents be successful make lots of
money spend lots of money pay your taxes
get married have kids have a nice house
drive a nice car save up for retirement
and then die just stay within those
parameters stay within that box at the
world of set you and you'll be fine that
is the human destiny of the world once
for you what about your church community
people around you faithful followers of
the Lord godly people do we sometimes
try to give you a destiny that is not
yours do I sometimes try to lead you and
who are destiny that God is not giving
you I think even with the right motive
and your brothers and sisters here
tonight can try and dictate to you a
life that is not the one that God wants
for you go to church kids church go to
youth group work hard at school get a
good grade go to uni join a uni church
group work serve as a youth leader get a
full-time job lead a growth group get
married in church put Christian bumper
stickers on your car come to church on
Sundays and bring your kids along and
start the same process all over again
none of that is bad none of that is
wrong none of that is sinful but is that
really the only destiny for Christians
or is this something else is there a
greater potential for Christians in this
world is there something more to the
Christian life than perhaps what your
brethren have set out for you but well I
think the most controversial option on
this list is is your parents if we refer
back to the passage I don't think
Zechariah was silenced because he didn't
believe that God could bring about a
child I don't think he doubted God's
power this man's been serving God his
entire life his very life screams belief
in Yahweh Zechariah's unbelief wasn't in
the miracle his unbelief was in the
destiny of his son Zechariah has been
dreaming of a son for years a son that
he could teach a son that he could love
a son that he could watch grow up grow
into a godly priest like Zechariah and
then this angel has come along and
ruined it for him he's ruined his dreams
and so Zechariah does believe that he
will have a son but he does not believe
in destiny that God has set out for him
and I want to affirm tonight so many of
you guys have amazing parents Christian
or not a lot of you have amazing parents
that love you and want the best for you
and a lot of you are blessed to have
parents like Zechariah and Elizabeth
faithful godly loving compassionate
right they want to do everything for you
and this is not a dig at your parents
you have to honor your parents above all
else but but even your parents can have
plans for you that are not God's plans
even your godly parents can have plans
for you that are not the Lord's plans
I mean look as ekor I did not want a son
that would call Israel into repentance
or baptized thousands and then be killed
at such a young age he didn't want God's
plan for his son now your parents
deserve that honor and respect but you
were God's child first right he is he
was
your parent first but he has set out
your steps he has declared your destiny
from the beginning of time he has
planned out your ways and nothing will
get in the way of that happening God has
planned your destiny before you even
made it into the womb which is which is
why I think abortion is so so heinous so
deplorable and wrong in the eyes of God
a bortion robbed god of his right to use
the very life that he planned and
created it denies God the right to work
in the world using that child so whether
legal or not
it's wrong in the eyes of God and
Zechariah he's allowed to speak again
because he's repented of his sin it's
like the time frame ended he's actually
repented he has recognized that God is
the ruler of this child's destiny
he has obeyed God and is named his son
John and no one will get in the way of
that child's destiny not the community
not the world not Elizabeth and not even
Zechariah will be able to stop the will
of God for the life of John and I'm
telling you the same thing as York
indeed in your case you will come under
the will of God and you and you will
live according to what he has planned
out to you you can obey instantly like
Elizabeth without discipline or you can
let God bring you to the right
conclusion like you did with Zechariah
but no one gets in the way of the will
of God not the church not your parents
not the world not your friends not
yourself even no one gets in the way
over the will of God for your life but
let me be clear one more time so you
don't go home with the wrong message
tonight I'm not pinning you against your
parents right they will love you more
than anyone else ever will I'm simply
warning you against letting other
people's ideas overcome the plans of God
I actually I want to I want to challenge
you tonight to to go home to your
parents and ask them what do they want
you to do with your life how do they see
you serving the Lord in 10 years time 20
years time 30 years time all the way to
death what do they see for you because
quite often God uses our parents he uses
the church uses a community to direct
our path towards him so after all this
who really names John who really sets
out his step to has mapped out the life
of John the Baptist's what's the Lord
isn't it it's God who is destined John
and so by the end of this passage the
question is no longer who
his child but what will the Lord do with
him let me fast forward into the future
for you because Jesus describes John as
the greatest man ever born of woman the
only one greater than John is Jesus his
name means the grace of God or the mercy
of God right and what an act of grace he
is John goes out into the wilderness by
the Jordan and he baptized his people
right he calls the nation of Israel to
repentance he is no Pharisee no great
teacher of the law he's simply the
Baptizer right he brings about the
revitalize a revitalized spirit to the
nation of Israel he brings revival to
the hearts of men and women and because
of his call to holiness because he asked
society to be spiritually holy he's an
enemy of the state and after only six
months of ministry six months of
baptizing and he's beheaded the
highlight of his ministry is the baptism
of Jesus Christ himself he literally
dunks Jesus Christ into water but when
we look at that when we look at the life
of John the Baptist don't think it's too
far-fetched that God may send you out to
die that he may have created you to be
his murder that isn't off the cards
actually for many Christians around the
world it's it's very it's a reality the
death is part of being a Christian why
would we expect otherwise why would we
expect otherwise when Jesus and John
died for a died for their faith why
would we think we'd get off so easily
the church is watered by the blood of
martyrs the church is watered by the
Saints willing to die for the faith and
you don't have to be an adult either as
a story this this young girl in in China
now in communist China it's it's illegal
to be a Christian and so in her church
right the government forces government
soldiers raid the church and they line
them up one by one in this I'll just say
you can go free all you have to do is
spit on a Bible and so they line them up
and and a man walks through and he walks
over to the Bible and he's hesitating
right he doesn't want to deny Jesus but
he walks over and he he kneels and he
spits on his Bible in is allowed to go
free and then a woman comes up and she's
shaking she's she's has
and just a little bit of dribble and it
hits the Bible and she's allowed to go
and then this this young girl walks in
and she walks over to her Bible and
she's got tears and and she wipes the
spit off the Bible and she says Lord
forgive them
she didn't renounce Jesus that day she
didn't deny Jesus she didn't spit on the
Bible and for that she was she was shot
in the head
sixteen years old dying for Jesus what
about Roy Ponto he was on an Indonesian
youth camp and they were they were left
behind because they ran out of cars and
so for older men for men leading the
youth camp went out to a car rental
place to rent another car but on the way
they were hijacked by a mob of Muslims
two of them were killed two ran away and
escaped but this this mob of Muslim men
went back to the camp and they found Roy
and they said to Roy renounce Jesus who
will kill you and Roy Roy obviously
frightened says I'm a soldier of Christ
and they they hit the his Bible out of
his hand with this sword and then kill
him with that very sword his last word
was Jesus 15 years old and dying for
Jesus 15 he's younger than most of you
in the room what about Peter kidnapped
by terrorists communist organization in
Philippine in the Philippines
he's uncle who was a gospel preacher and
evangelist was told to stop preaching
the gospel your nephew will be killed
now they knew that if if he stopped
preaching the gospel if he did that
there was no guarantee that the boy were
safe and they will probably kill him too
and so the boy was tortured for three
hours and then killed beheaded simply
for being associated with Christians
Peter was eight years old God is calling
you to give your whole life and it might
just be like Peter or Roy or that young
Chinese girl it might be like the
millions of Christians that were killed
over the last century for their faith
alone or like the millions executed
under Rome when the foot church first
started I want you to night to think
bigger
picture for your destiny I want you to
think on God's terms for your future I
want to think about eternity think about
how far you'd be willing to take this
Jesus thing are you gonna go all the way
with this Jesus thing or is this just is
your commitment just Friday night Sunday
night you'll notice tonight in your
handouts I'm gonna pick them up this
there's a blank check when you give
someone a blank check you're saying you
they can take anything from you you sign
that and they can take anything and
tonight if you're willing I want you to
address that check to god I want you to
address it to God I want you to give
your destiny to God I want you to say
Lord you have my steps just as you had
the steps of John the Baptist I want to
walk in those steps for the rest of my
life I want to do what you want me to do
and if that means giving up this good
life that I have here in Sydney and
going across the globe to a place where
I might be killed for that faith just
like John just like Jesus just like the
millions of my brothers and sisters
before me then so be it
I want to sign my life away to God I
want to sign my life away to the God
that signed his son's life away for us I
want to live the way he wants me to live
even if it cost me my entire life
literally my life I keep those handouts
cuz you're gonna use them again for
discussion groups but I want to end
tonight with a few words to each of you
now I can't tell you what God
specifically once in your life I don't
have that skill set it's not like
gifting I'm not a prophet but I know
what the Lord commands us in the Bible
he has this general will this general
destiny that we're all kind of on so for
the juniors tonight I believe that God
is calling you it's a holiness and
maturity now that God has set out he
steps for you that he wants you to be
obedient followers of him he wants you
in his word now he wants you living his
word now he wants you to grow up and be
mature all right he doesn't want you to
be dealing with the same sins you are
today in five years time he wants you to
be set now and that is simply the will
of God I believe start building on that
foundation that Jesus has given you get
into the habit of get into habits that
you'll keep for the rest of your life
that will help you continue to run the
race with Jesus I get into the habit of
reading your Bible daily
prepare your soul while you still can
get into the habit of deep prayer spend
hours in it you know it was only a few
decades ago the church members got
together and just prayed for hours so I
want to hear stories over the next week
about how you had friends over and you
just sat there in prayer for hours you
just spent there in prayer loving God in
prayer and I think God wants you to be
serious about your relationships with
Jesus with your relationships too there
are people out there who you love that
need to hear the gospel now there's no
time to wait until you're better trained
until you're a little bit older a little
bit wiser they need you now for seniors
I think that God wants you to start
thinking about his plans for your life
personally why are you all planning
everything except your spiritual life
why are your plans full of careers study
houses money spouses and void of God if
you pray and think over what God wants
for you you'll find out his destiny for
you you will find his plan for you
you'll find out his real name for you
ask first God what do you want me to do
with this life and then the rest will
come career study houses will be
provided for right get yours life
spiritually in step with God first
consider global mission consider gospel
work consider doing all the works of the
Lord
think about postponing University for a
year so that you can get theologically
trained think about going overseas for a
year and working with a missions agency
how could think about throwing out your
dream house and drink job for the sake
of reaching those who have not been
reached let God do the planning and you
do the obeying it's that simple all the
voices telling you to do otherwise need
to be shunned out how you plan your life
over the next couple of years will
dictate how you spend the rest of your
life and finally for anyone that came
here tonight not knowing Jesus maybe
someone who can see it didn't consider
him tonight till tonight or maybe you've
been considering for a while
I believe that God has planned out your
destiny to
I believe that he is considered and
thought over you before you were born I
believe that God does not want you to
continue living this life without him
you don't have to live by the plans of
the world you don't have to continue
living with the same name and the same
destiny as everyone else I believe that
Jesus lived perfectly died brutally and
rose gloriously and he did this not only
to save you but to make you a new person
you don't have to continue living like a
slave under all your wrongs you don't
have to continue living under the weight
of all your sins all the bad things
you've done you don't have to continue
on living like this at all I believe
Jesus can change your very destiny
tonight he took Abram to Abraham he took
Jacob and turned him into Israel he
turned Simon into Peter and I believe
tonight he can turn you from an enemy of
God into a child of God God can change
your eternal destiny he can take you
from the hell you deserve into the
heaven that you don't where you own in
the hell you deserve where your name is
nothing but ash where after millions of
years of burning you're no closer to the
end than when you started it can take
you from that hell and into a heaven
where death will no longer reign it can
give you a clean slate one that will
never get dirty he can give you a new
life one that will never end
believe in Jesus and turn away from your
sins now we've spoken about a lot of
names tonight John was a great man
perhaps the greatest but we all come
under another name we worship another
name we call him Immanuel God with us we
call him Lord Savior Son of God with the
great prophet the great Messiah the Holy
One of Israel the eternal King the judge
of the living and the dead the great
provider the great healer we call him
God we call in Christ and we call him
salvation there is no other name that
spreads himself across the pages of
history than the name of Jesus there is
no other name that has inspired men to
do crazy things to go to places that are
not their home to love people who hate
them to give up everything for people
who despise them to be killed for a
faith in a God that you cannot see to
deny themselves their very own rights to
die brutal deaths for the good news of
his name there is no other name that can
change the very fabric of men's souls
there is no other name that can save you
from the wrath and Hellfire of God and
there is no other name that can remove
sin from your life there is no other
name besides the name of Jesus that
leads to salvation there is no other
name that matters in the scheme of
eternity there is no other name that
deserves to be worshipped there is no
name that deserves a glory and there is
no other name that you can be saved by
what a beautiful name it is
you