Embracing Our New Identity in Christ
Devotional
Sermon Summary
Bible Study Guide
Sermon Clips
"we're learning together that there's something new going on in the world and what's new thank god is not the level of problems they've been around forever what is new is what god is doing every day in what he's doing supremely through jesus and in this advent season we're looking back at that and we're looking forward and we're looking to what he's going to do right now jesus comes right now and what i want to talk to you about today is god's promise to give you a new name that is a new identity and a new relationship with him" [00:00:13]
"it's one of the great promises in scripture it's in revelation chapter 2 verse 17 where god says that he will give to the one who perseveres who holds on and therefore is ultimately victorious through god a white stone with a new name written on it known only to the one who receives that an intimate secret between you and god about who you are" [00:00:42]
"abraham initially was abram and when god says i want to bless you so that you can be of blessings to all people all the peoples on the earth will be blessed through you he changes his name to abraham which is thought to mean the father of many nations in other words there's nobody god doesn't love and he invites us into that same idea be a blessing to everybody that you meet because you have been blessed by god love others because you are loved" [00:01:49]
"and god says to sarah why did you laugh and she says i did not laugh and god says you did to laugh and of course god was right but god gets the last laugh because when that little baby is born god says let's give him the name isaac which meant laughter we laugh we delight god laughs and then isaac has a son and his name is jacob which means the grabber or the deceiver and man that fit him he was a con man he was a flim-flam artist" [00:02:47]
"until one night god sent an angel and jacob ends up grabbing the angel grabbing a hold of god and saying i will not let you go unless you bless me i will not let you go and that fighting spirit that spirit that just says i will keep persisting god i gotta have you i'm desperate for you god loves that spirit and so he actually changes jacob's name he gives him a new name he's still known as jacob but he's also known now as israel that was the ancient word for god and israel was one who wrestles with god" [00:03:19]
"and then jesus delighted in giving new names he selected 12 disciples and three of them peter james and john were particularly close to him and he gave each of them a new name peter was originally simon and he was mercurial and up and down and jesus in a moment of great grace i'm going to call you peter petros meant rock it's like rocky you'd be rocky and that's who he became and james and john jesus called the sons of thunder" [00:04:54]
"saul which of course was a famous jewish name king saul became paul was given a greek name because this man who had persecuted the church became somebody who was famous for his love for outsiders for gentiles for greeks there was another member of that early community named joe and he became so generous he became so loving and giving that they said joe that doesn't work for you so they renamed him barnabas which meant son of encouragement god is a god of the new name" [00:06:01]
"c.s lewis has a wonderful picture of why there are so many people he says it's kind of like god is this diamond with an infinite number of facets and each person is made to be able to see and love and praise one of those facets of god and when we do that then other people are able to see god a little bit differently and they love him more we we know god better and love him more deeply because of each other" [00:07:10]
"and when we look at somebody very often what we love most about them is what they love not because it's strategic or particularly valuable or helpful in their career financially they just love it why is that well they love a gift and every good and perfect gift comes from above from the father of all lights in whom there is no shadow or variation of changing i think we love it when people love life because then they are loving the giver of life" [00:08:33]
"so now god is going to give you a new name and the thought for today is god what's my new name how do you want me to reflect you what is it that you've made me to love about you and life that i genuinely do and as you go through this day look at what is it that genuinely is life given to you that gives you joy what might your new name be" [00:09:09]
"and then live it because we serve the god of abraham therefore keep loving we serve the god of isaac therefore keep laughing we serve the god of jacob therefore keep fighting until you get your new name and i'll see you tomorrow" [00:10:12]
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"it's one of the great promises in scripture it's in revelation chapter 2 verse 17 where god says that he will give to the one who perseveres who holds on and therefore is ultimately victorious through god a white stone with a new name written on it known only to the one who receives that an intimate secret between you and god about who you are" [00:00:42]
"abraham initially was abram and when god says i want to bless you so that you can be of blessings to all people all the peoples on the earth will be blessed through you he changes his name to abraham which is thought to mean the father of many nations in other words there's nobody god doesn't love and he invites us into that same idea be a blessing to everybody that you meet because you have been blessed by god love others because you are loved" [00:01:49]
"and god says to sarah why did you laugh and she says i did not laugh and god says you did to laugh and of course god was right but god gets the last laugh because when that little baby is born god says let's give him the name isaac which meant laughter we laugh we delight god laughs and then isaac has a son and his name is jacob which means the grabber or the deceiver and man that fit him he was a con man he was a flim-flam artist" [00:02:47]
"until one night god sent an angel and jacob ends up grabbing the angel grabbing a hold of god and saying i will not let you go unless you bless me i will not let you go and that fighting spirit that spirit that just says i will keep persisting god i gotta have you i'm desperate for you god loves that spirit and so he actually changes jacob's name he gives him a new name he's still known as jacob but he's also known now as israel that was the ancient word for god and israel was one who wrestles with god" [00:03:19]
"and then jesus delighted in giving new names he selected 12 disciples and three of them peter james and john were particularly close to him and he gave each of them a new name peter was originally simon and he was mercurial and up and down and jesus in a moment of great grace i'm going to call you peter petros meant rock it's like rocky you'd be rocky and that's who he became and james and john jesus called the sons of thunder" [00:04:54]
"saul which of course was a famous jewish name king saul became paul was given a greek name because this man who had persecuted the church became somebody who was famous for his love for outsiders for gentiles for greeks there was another member of that early community named joe and he became so generous he became so loving and giving that they said joe that doesn't work for you so they renamed him barnabas which meant son of encouragement god is a god of the new name" [00:06:01]
"c.s lewis has a wonderful picture of why there are so many people he says it's kind of like god is this diamond with an infinite number of facets and each person is made to be able to see and love and praise one of those facets of god and when we do that then other people are able to see god a little bit differently and they love him more we we know god better and love him more deeply because of each other" [00:07:10]
"and when we look at somebody very often what we love most about them is what they love not because it's strategic or particularly valuable or helpful in their career financially they just love it why is that well they love a gift and every good and perfect gift comes from above from the father of all lights in whom there is no shadow or variation of changing i think we love it when people love life because then they are loving the giver of life" [00:08:33]
"so now god is going to give you a new name and the thought for today is god what's my new name how do you want me to reflect you what is it that you've made me to love about you and life that i genuinely do and as you go through this day look at what is it that genuinely is life given to you that gives you joy what might your new name be" [00:09:09]
"and then live it because we serve the god of abraham therefore keep loving we serve the god of isaac therefore keep laughing we serve the god of jacob therefore keep fighting until you get your new name and i'll see you tomorrow" [00:10:12]
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