Overcoming Labels

To kick things off today, I want to ask you a question to think about. How would you describe yourself in 3 words or less? Would you describe your appearance? Tall, dark, and handsome? Short? Fit? Out of shape? Sun-burned? Freckles? Long hair? Frumpy? Hipster? Old fashioned?

Would you describe your personality? Outgoing? Shy? Likeable? Annoying? Inquisitive? Quiet? Loud?

Would you describe yourself based on your current situation? Mother? Father? Husband? Wife? Single? Divorced? Rich? Broke? Busy? Bored?

You might describe yourself using your favorite hobbies. Football fan? Card collector? Hunter? Boater? Hiker? Camper? Bicyclist? Gardener? Book reader?

If this was a serious conversation, maybe you would go a little deeper. Would you say that you were a good person? Successful at something? A failure at something else?

Today we are continuing the Overcomer series. Last week we talked about overcoming apathy, and before that we talked about overcoming comparisons. Today we are going to overcome LABELS. The Merriam-Webster dictionary defines a label as…

Label: a descriptive or identifying word or phrase

Our brains love labels. It is natural for us to label things so that we can fit them into categories that describe what they are and to easily identify them when we need them later. When I think of labels, I often think of pieces of paper stuck to jars or other items. Amy loves labels. She has a label maker and so it is not uncommon to find things in our house with labels stuck to them. In fact, label makers actually use psychology to design labels for products.

If you have ever bought a sheet of sticky, printable labels from Walmart, you have probably heard of the brand Avery. On their website, they describe a good, psychologically tested label as one that connects with people emotionally. They have a lot of information based on their tests of how physical labels affect consumers.

The labels that we carry about ourselves have a similar affect. Whether we like it or not, we are all described by labels to some extent. A classifying phrase, or a name that has been applied to us. Some are positive, but many are not. Most are even inaccurate or restrictive in some way.

Just hearing certain labels can invoke specific thoughts and emotions within you. When I was younger, I had several nicknames. Once, someone saw me dribbling a basketball and started calling me AI, short for Allen Iverson, who was a famous basketball player. I couldn’t dribble a basketball for nothing, but after getting that nickname I had this feeling of possibility. Maybe I CAN do this. So I joined the basketball team and earned a few more names.

There is a movie scene that plays on the expectation of labels when a police officer orders a burger. When he orders, the cashier turns toward the kitchen and says, “I need a burger for a cop!” The officer says, “What’s that supposed to mean?” What’s the difference between a burger and a burger for a cop? It makes me think of the story about the burglar…

Late one night a burglar broke into a house and while he was sneaking around he heard a voice say, “Jesus is watching you.” He looked around and saw nothing. He kept on creeping and again heard, “Jesus is watching you.” In a dark corner, he saw a cage with a parrot inside.The burglar asked the parrot, “Was it you who said Jesus is watching me” The parrot replied, “Yes.” Relieved, the burglar asked, “What is your name?” The parrot said, “Clarence.” The burglar said, “That’s a stupid name for a parrot. What idiot named you Clarence?” The parrot answered, “The same idiot that named the rottweiler Jesus.

We all carry labels. Some are positive; hard worker, talented, loved. Some are not; unloved, failure, weak, unwanted, divorced, disappointment. Sometimes the labels can be encouraging, but most of the time they hurt. Too old, too fat, too little, too young, wrong this, wrong that, not enough this, and too much that. If we aren’t careful, the longer we carry a label they can do more than just hurt us.

I use these Yeti cups almost every day. A few years ago, Ace put a bunch of them on sale and you could get them for under $10 a piece. I think they normally cost something like $35 or $40, so, naturally, I grabbed a couple. I think I grabbed 3 or 4.

If you turn these cups upside down, there is a label stuck to the bottom of them. When I brought them home I peeled one of the labels off. It wasn’t very easy and it left a little residue on the cup, so I didn’t do the others. A few years later, the labels were still on the others, so I decided to peal them off. Now, it is nearly impossible to get it off. I don’t think I even got one off.

The labels we carry are a lot like those Yeti labels. The longer we let them stay, the more ingrained in us they become. The become less and less of a description of who we are, and more and more a part of our identity. I like the way Pastor Tim Doremus from Life Church says it. He says…

THE LONGER WE CARRY A LABEL, THE LESS IT DESCRIBES OUR PAST AND MORE IT DETERMINES OUR FUTURE.

Some researchers studied labels in children at school and found that labels had an impact on their performance. So if you label a child as “slow” and don’t change anything else, such as their learning, studying, or anything else, just label them “slow” and make them aware of it, their performance will decrease. On the other hand, if you label them “advanced,” their performance will begin to increase.

The longer we carry a label, it will become less a description of our past as it begins defining our future. Speaking of labels and children. There was a pastor who was praying in church and he began with the words, “Oh Lord, without you we are but dust!” As he paused for dramatic effect, a small child’s voice could be heard asking, “Mommy, what is butt dust?”

When we attach labels to ourselves, good or bad, we are actually attaching ourselves to weights. The more we grab and accept as “just who I am,” the more they slow us down, give us something to live up to or run from, and make us tired and depressed.

It reminds me of a pro wrestler named Youssuf Ishmaelo, the Terrible Turk. Throughout history there have been a few people called “Terrible Turk,” but he was the original. His story is memorialized in legend. He was a wrestler long before Hulk Hogan was performing the Stone Cold Stunner. In fact, he was a wrestler back when the competitors would actually wrestle and fight. For most of his popular career he wrestled in France.

This guy was tough. Most of his fights didn’t last long. In one of his more memorable matches, his opponent had unnatural endurance. The fight got so brutal that Youssuf managed to tear the opponents nostrils, break his ribs, and twist his arms. The man was covered in blood and eventually the judge and spectators could no longer endure watching this savage contest. In order to get Youssuf off of the opponent, the referee began to beat Youssuf with a stick, but he wouldn’t let go.

According to a witness, “Some spectators and a police inspector with six men had to take a hand before Youssuf could be pulled away from Mahmout. Three police held Youssuf on each side and when he turned in his frenzied anger he swung the six policemen around like the spokes of a capstan.” Listen to this, this is how tough people used to be… “… an interpreter asked Mahmout if he was not going to lodge a complaint against Youssuf. He answered with great dignity, ‘Certainly not. We were only wrestling.’”

In 1898, Youssuf toured America, winning $10,000. That is just under $400k today. Here is the crazy part. He didn’t want the cash. He wanted his winnings in gold, which he kept in a heavy belt. Some say his belt probably weighed about 40 pounds. On his way back to France, tragedy struck the boat he was on. The liner he rode collided with another ship and both sank within about 45 minutes.

The stories about what exactly happened while the boats submerging are varied, but of the 785 people on board, 571 were lost. Of the 70 women, only 1 survived. Common accounts say that people brandished knives and literally fought to save themselves. One article wrote, “So much for the days of ‘women and children first.’”

The commonly accepted description of Youssuf’s last moments describe him as acting like a wild beast, forcing his way through the crowds with a dagger in hand. As he reached the rails, he jumped onto a life boat that was being lowered to the water and caused it to overturn, dumping himself and it’s passengers into the sea. Even though he was known to be a good swimmer, Youssuf simply could not keep his head above water as long as he wore his 40 pounds of gold around his waist. He couldn’t let it go, and the belt drug him down with it.

As we open our bibles to Mark chapter 2 this morning, let me ask you again… What labels are you carrying with you? The first few verses in this chapter of Mark tell the story of a man with a label. In fact, your bible may even have a title header above the story that says something like, “Jesus heals a paralytic.” This man’s story is a powerful example of overcoming labels. No matter what label may be stuck to you this morning, my hope and prayer is that this story will encourage you as Christ gives you what you need to be an overcomer of labels.

In this story, Jesus is preaching the word to a crowd of people. He was literally preaching to a packed house. People were packed into this structure, out the door. That’s when these four guys show up carrying a paralytic. Being paralyzed in Jesus’ day was more than just a bad label. In that time, people believed that if you suffered from some kind of illness, it was assumed that you were cursed because of a sin that you or someone in your family had committed.

So having a label like his meant that people looked down on you. What did you do to deserve that? You must be an awful sinner! Gross! Stay away from me. So when these men show up, it is unlikely that the crowd will part way for such a horrible sinner. This man had something going for him, though. He had something that we all need if we want to overcome labels. He had FAITHFUL FRIENDS, which brings us to our first thought, if you are taking notes…

1. THE FAITH OF THOSE AROUND YOU MATTERS.

Listen to what these friends were willing to do to get this man near Jesus. They climbed up onto the roof, dug a human sized hole through the straw, dirt, and wood, then lowered him into Jesus’ presence…

Mark 2:4 NLT

4 They couldn’t bring him to Jesus because of the crowd, so they dug a hole through the roof above his head. Then they lowered the man on his mat, right down in front of Jesus.

How many of you have friends that are willing to raise roofs to bring you into Jesus’ presence? I will never forget something that Russell Williams told me last year after the Tour de Meers bicycle ride. We were all changing and someone asked if we were wearing the shirts we got from the ride and I made the remark that I was too fat to wear it. Russell wasted no time in reprimanding me when he asked, “What does Jesus say about you?” In stunned silence, I immediately knew what he was telling me. If you are taking notes, write this down…

Your friends will either carry you toward Jesus or pull you away from Him.

If you are finding it difficult to avoid living by a label, who are your friends? Do they think outside of the box to pull out all the stops and remove barriers so that they can carry you closer to Jesus, or at some point are you going to realize that the more you are around them, the further from Jesus you find yourself?

The faith of the people around you really does matter. Need more proof that your friends matter? Let’s see what Jesus says to the man as he dangles in front of Him…

Mark 2:5 NLT

5 Seeing their faith, Jesus said to the paralyzed man, “My child, your sins are forgiven.”

Seeing who’s faith? Seeing THEIR faith! This paralyzed man probably wanted to be in front of Jesus as much or more than his friends, but who’s faith was Jesus focused on? THEIR faith. Why? if you are taking notes, it’s because…

Transformation rarely happens in isolation, but in community.

Dave Ramsey says that you become who you hang out with. According to Proverbs 27:17, we don’t improve our situation by sitting at home in the dark eating Cheetos and watching TikTok. As iron sharpens iron, its other people who have impact on our lives. The faith of our friends really does matter!

Seeing THEIR faith, the faith of the four who lowered the man through the roof, Jesus said, “My child, your sins are forgiven.”

After seeing their faith, Jesus does something not really expected. This story supposed to be about a paralytic that Jesus heals, but He is forgiving sins. Remember that to these people, this paralyzed man represented something more than a physical impairment. His physical illness must have been the result of an illness of the heart and soul. His physical condition had to be a curse caused by sin. When we realize that, what Jesus does here is all the more powerful.

If you go to the doctor today and list off your symptoms, most likely the doctor will start giving you medicine for those symptoms. They might make a half hearted effort to find what my be causing the problem, but they will treat your symptoms and tell you to come back if that doesn’t fix it. Here, Jesus is doing something more…

Jesus heals the SOURCE, not the symptoms.

Jesus is saying, “Hey, I’m not just going to tear off this label. If sin gave you this label, I am going to remove sin from the equation all together.” The solution to this man’s problem isn’t finding a new or better label. It’s doing away with the labels all together and seeing himself the way God sees him. Getting a new label may not be what you need. Finding a better label probably isn’t going to fix the problem. We need Jesus to heal the source, not the symptoms.

This brings us to our second thought about overcoming labels. Our first is that the faith of those around us matters. Second…

2. A LABEL MAY DESCRIBE YOU, BUT YOUR IDENTITY IN CHRIST DEFINES YOU.

You may be living with a label that you have carried around so long that you have let it do more than describe you and now you are letting it define who you are. Now you are letting the label determine your limitations and your abilities. Now your label is calling the shots about your future. If you find that to be true, then it is time to realize that you should not be letting the label call the shots. Your identity isn’t found in a label, but in Christ, who defines who you are.

I am not just talking about fat/skinny, tall/short, cool/lame… A label can even sound like a good thing. GOOD person. DEVOTED Christian. Prayer WARRIOR. Are you trying to live up to a label? Do you let labels, good or bad, define your identity? Letting labels define your identity is like what Paul calls being imprisoned. He told the Galatians that before faith came we were held captive under the law. Now we have Christ, and it is Christ who defines you. Paul says…

Galatians 3:26–28 NLT

26 For you are all children of God through faith in Christ Jesus. 27 And all who have been united with Christ in baptism have put on Christ, like putting on new clothes. 28 There is no longer Jew or Gentile, slave or free, male and female. For you are all one in Christ Jesus.

So when God looks at us, He doesn’t see good, bad, fat, skinny, fast, slow, too much, not enough, wrong this, too old… He looks at us and sees His Son, and says, “Well done.”

When Jesus healed the paralyzed man of His sinful condition, some of the religious folk were there grumbling under their breath. “How could He do that? Only God can forgive sins! Who does He think He is?” So Jesus responds to them…

Mark 2:9–11 NLT

9 Is it easier to say to the paralyzed man ‘Your sins are forgiven,’ or ‘Stand up, pick up your mat, and walk’? 10 So I will prove to you that the Son of Man has the authority on earth to forgive sins.” Then Jesus turned to the paralyzed man and said, 11 “Stand up, pick up your mat, and go home!”

Jesus has the power to transform and redefine who you are, regardless of your labels. That paralyzed guy will always have that label. Think about it, any time he walked into people who recognized him, how many would have tilted their heads and said, “Isn’t that the paralyzed guy?” His story has been written in scripture and we aren’t even given his name, so for as long as the story of the bible is told, he will be referred to as “a paralytic man.” That label may describe him to us, but it isn’t what defined him. Christ has the authority and transformed and defined who the man really was.

Jesus has the power and authority to weaken your label and strengthen you. Transforming you. Defining who you are. And before you know it, that label that attached itself to you with evil intent, suddenly becomes powerless and now God will use it for good. That’s our final thought for today. The faith of those around you matters; a Label may describe you, but your identity in Christ defines you; and finally…

3. WHAT THE DEVIL MEANT FOR EVIL, GOD WILL USE FOR GOOD.

How amazing is it to be able to tell your story to people. I couldn’t move. My friends lowered me through a roof. Jesus transformed me, and now I am something completely new. Now when people see me, instead of saying, “How are you paralyzed? Are you a sinner?” they now say, “How are you no longer paralyzed? Weren’t you a sinner?”

Isn’t it great to be able to tell the story of overcoming labels that were stuck to you and keeping you down until you were transformed by God and now your story can impact someone else who is being held down by the same label! Now, instead of the label being meant for evil, it actually becomes something good that gives that next person hope because if Jesus can destroy that label for you, He can do it for me too!

Never ever forget what God has done for you because…

God can use your past to change someone’s future.

What was your past? What label were you set free from? You used to be called… Broke, but Jesus transformed you and now you are called rich in faith. Used to be called addict, but now free in Christ. You were called unloved, but now you know Christ defines you and He loves you more than you will ever fully understand. You were insecure, but now you find your confidence in Christ. Someone told you that you were a mistake, but God chose you and gives you a purpose. God can use your past to change someone’s future.

When we started, I asked you to think of 3 words that describe yourself. Now I want to challenge you to prayerfully seek out 3 words that define you as a child of God. To kick start you, I will share one more thing Jesus says about you. In John Chapter 5, Jesus said this…

John 5:24 NLT

24 “I tell you the truth, those who listen to my message and believe in God who sent me have eternal life. They will never be condemned for their sins, but they have already passed from death into life.

Paul describes it this way to the Galatians…

Galatians 4:4–7 NLT

4 But when the right time came, God sent his Son, born of a woman, subject to the law. 5 God sent him to buy freedom for us who were slaves to the law, so that he could adopt us as his very own children. 6 And because we are his children, God has sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, prompting us to call out, “Abba, Father.” 7 Now you are no longer a slave but God’s own child. And since you are his child, God has made you his heir.

Prayerfully ask God to show you what label you believe about yourself. Then, ask the Holy Spirit to help you tear off the wrong labels and replace them with the right ones.

I used to be called _____, but now I am called _____.

Then thank Jesus for the power of what He’s done for you, because He’s not done. Your past can change someones future.