What's In A Name?

Luke - That You May Know  •  Sermon  •  Submitted
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We look at the birth of John the Baptist and how his life was set in stone from the beginning. No one was going to change the destiny that God set out for him; not his parents, not his community, not his relatives and not even him. We ask the question, what has God got planned out for his people now? Is he calling you to global mission? Watch here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h4XV_PgDhaU&t=1157s

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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

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