What's in a name

Story of not being able to get into The Victorian Palace in Branson...

I didn’t have a name for there...

I did however have a name for here…

Isaiah 48:1–2 ESV

Hear this, O house of Jacob, who are called by the name of Israel, and who came from the waters of Judah, who swear by the name of the Lord and confess the God of Israel, but not in truth or right. For they call themselves after the holy city, and stay themselves on the God of Israel; the Lord of hosts is his name.

They were called by the name Israel. They had the name but they didn’t have the relationship. They looked nothing like their father. What they were supposed to do was reflect His glory. It was supposed to be that they lived in such a way that if you ran into them you could have a picture of who God was.

In this way they were to be a light for the nations. They were supposed to be spreading His glory. In some ways you can see who they were supposed to be by going back to Genesis 12. But even that goes all the way back to the Garden of Eden and the original task for humanity.

Rest—Rule—Relationship. For Abraham it was God promising him land, influence, and being His friend. And this same charge was there for the Israelites in Isaiah’s time. But they were absolutely not being a light to the nations—they weren’t at home with the Lord. They were striving just like the other nations. They were grumbling. They weren’t trusting in His fatherly care. You can see this in Isaiah 1 and throughout this text as well.

But go ahead and turn back to Isaiah 1. See the rebellion.

So, when God says in verse 2 that, “Children have I reared and brought up” he means it. He really did. He crated them, he elected them from the nations, He protected them, He brought about their growth, and He established them as a nation. All of this God has done in rearing them.

But now the Israelites are like a rebellious teenager, as God says, “they have rebelled against me”. When it says that they have rebelled against me, the idea is that they are like a rebellious child flat out telling his parent, “no”. It is a willful breaking of authority.

We see the ridiculousness of this in v3. Even oxen and donkeys are smart enough to know their master. They listen; but not the people of Israel. They do not know, they do not understand. Those two words there, “know” and “understand”, refer to knowing God intimately and because of knowing God intimately you drink from the storehouse of His wisdom. Because you know the God of truth you are able to see and understand what He is doing. The people of Israel had lost this. They are living contrary to their calling. They were created and chosen by God to know Him and intimately and to know Him deeply. By their very nature they should have passionately pursued Him. They were to drink deeply from the fountain of God, yet instead they rebelled. That is evidence A; rebellion against God.

What God is doing in verse 4 is using 4 nouns that display Israel’s privileged position, and then He uses an adjective to corrupt it. We see the nouns, “nation, people, offspring, children” of God. That would have evoked much sentiment in the people of Israel.

But if you look at the adjectives that are in this text we see the opposite of this. Sinful, heavy with iniquity, evildoers, corrupt. It is the very opposite that you would expect. The unique nation and people of God—the seed of Abraham is defiled. You would expect the children of a holy God to be just that; holy. But instead they are sinful, covered in wickedness, evildoers, and corrupt to the bone. They have abandoned their calling. They are as the end of v.4 proclaims “estranged”. They have ran away from the Holy One of Israel and are now just like the foreign nations that they were chosen from.

Then in verses 5-8 we see that as God continued to work to get their attention it didn’t wake them up but actually further hardened their rebellion. Now they did get even more religious....crying for revival. v10-17. Crying for God’s blessings. But not actually changing. God cannot endure solemn assembly and wickedness.

So what ended up happening was that God sent them into exile. The Babylonians came in and conquered them. But through these last few chapters of Isaiah in Isaiah 40 is God declaring that this time for exile is over…he is bringing rescue through Cyrus. You see some of that here in Isaiah 48…see him saying in verse 3-5. He’s saying. I told you this was going to happen before it did…now I’m telling you a guy named Cyrus is going to rescue you out of exile…and I’m doing it now because you are stubborn and if I don’t do it this way you’ll say, “hey look we got rescued by our idols. Or you’ll throw Cyrus a party and turn the means I’m using into just another god.

So much of Isaiah 48 is God showing how their name doesn’t match their lifestyle. God can rescue them out of captivity but can he rescue them out of the captivity of sin. Neck of iron—not repenting. Set in their ways. Unchanging. Forehead of brass—never changing their mind.

What is their hope? What is our hope? Because their story is our story. Look at verses 9-11. Thankfully, God’s great concern is for His name. And so he is dedicated to us because of that.

Not only does our performance not secure us in God’s favor, it’s our lousy performance that God uses to display his favor. He loves us for reasons that make sense only within the logic of the divine nature. He loves us with what seems to us like one windfall of mercy after another. God must love his kind of love, because he calls it his glory. His mercy to sinners through Jesus Christ is what sets him apart most impressively from the idols. It takes no one less than the one true God sacrificially and eternally to disconnect what we deserve from what we get.

God is dedicated to his name and this is such a great thing for us, because God’s name doesn’t change. What this is saying is that God has set his mind on redeeming you and nobody is going to mess that up---not even you.

I have refined you. That’s what the exile was meant to do. Being refined does change you. I’ve maybe told you this story before...

It was a terrific dog. For three whole weeks I had spent my time in 8th grade Art class crafting this marvelous ceramic dog. Now only one step stood between Fido and a sweet blue ribbon. That final step…cue the drums and dark music…was the furnace.

Fido didn’t make it. He kind of made it. But not really. He lost a leg, a tail, and his ears folded over. Truth be told he went into the furnace as a beautiful dog and came out the other end as a three-legged pig.

I had only one option. Fido’s dog days had to be over. He’d now have to become Wilbur the pig. So I put on him a curly tail, a new leg, and tweaked his face a little. One quick trip into the kiln and out came Wilbur the pig that used to be a dog.

The moral of the story: The furnace of affliction changes us.

As believers the Lord puts us into the furnace of affliction for our good and His glory. It is in the furnace of suffering that he chisels away our impurities. It is here that we become more moldable and easier to be used for His glory. We often go into the furnace as an arrogant dog, sure to win first prize. We come through the other end a maimed pig–but a maimed pig that is more fit to be used for God’s glory and more receptive to enjoying God.

Yet I find in my heart a terrible tendency on the other side of the kiln. After I’ve been through the season of affliction I expect things to soon return to normalcy. “Normalcy” meaning life before the kiln. I long for things to go back to how they were before the furnace.

But it can’t. Life can’t go back to how it was because I am no longer who I was when entering the furnace. And I’m not meant to be. Nor should I want to be. The furnace is meant to strip away the old and shape us into who God wants us to be.

When I come out the other end of the furnace I’m not charged with getting my life back to how it was before the season of affliction. I am charged with learning to live and walk and breathe in the new. Trying to live like Fido doesn’t work when God decided Wilbur the pig was a better option.

So yes, the furnace changes us…it’ll change them. But more has to happen. The furnance reveals who you are. It reveals all the impurities. It strips you bear. But the furnace cannot create what isn’t already there.

What’s it going to take? The new covenant. The work of the Servant. And that’s what we see here in this text.

The Servant and THE SERVANT. Christ is the Greater Israel…Christ is the role of the servant fulfilled. Israel can’t redeem Israel…that point has been certain. She needs one in her place.

49:5-6. God is going to rescue through the new covenant. He is going to do in Christ—in His Sevant—what we cannot do for ourselves.

Look at verse 8. Paul quotes this in 2 Corinthians 6. I want to show you that. I want to show you how he is using that because I think it’ll make this whole thing make sense for us.

The furnace shows us what we really are. For the Israelites—prior to the new covenant—what it revealed was that they were still in need of rescue. You can take them out of Babylonian captivity but if the heart isn’t changed then their still captive to sin. Still captive to self. But 2 Corinthians 6 helps us see what happens in the new covenant.

Look at your text here…a big list of difficulties.

Afflictions, hardships, calamities: Ever try to do something nice for people and get burned? You try to do the right thing and what you get in return is absolute heartbreak? That’s what Paul is talking about here. Intense suffering and difficulty brought on by his gospel ministry. One of these words is “being trapped by circumstances over which he had no control”.

Beatings, imprisonments, riots: These are actual things Paul encountered. Actual injustices which have happened to him. Ever been treated unjustly? Man, this isn’t fair! Some guy cuts you off in traffic. Unfair laws which take money that ought to be yours.

Labors, sleepless nights, hunger: What happens when we miss sleep? Ever heard of the phrase hangry? Work so hard you are just tired and flat wore out. Your patience is wearing thin.

Dishonor: So how does it make you feel when you are disowned by someone? They don’t want to associate with you. Repudiated. That was happening to Paul with some people. He was held in dishonor. When people heard his name, they were like, “ugh” can’t stand that guy.

Slander: Lies told about you. False reports being spread.

Treated like an imposter: You’re a hypocrite. You say you’re a follower of Jesus but you’re a fraud. You’re an imposter.

Unknown: This one is literally unrecognized. For Paul it was that people didn’t accept him as a legit apostle. Ever have that happen to you. People don’t see you as legit. You don’t get to ride the roller coaster. You aren’t invited to the party.

Dying: You’ve been given a death sentence. You feel death in your bones.

Punished: This one is a bit tongue in cheek, but from the outside looking in it seems like you are being punished. Wonder what this guy did to deserve all of that? Or maybe you feel that yourself…your circumstances are so bleak you are looking to the heavens and saying, ‘what in the world did I do’?

Sorrowful: Sad. Depressed. In a season where you are only seeing the dark side of life.

Poor, having nothing: Flat broke and busted. Financial constraint.

Paul had all of these. He was shaken up. So what happened…what happened when we pop the top?

NOTHING

Why doesn’t it spew everywhere? Why did we not have Coke spraying everywhere….well…because through the week I changed the guts? This Coke can was transformed.

And that is what Paul is saying in this passage. You want to see that he is a legit follower of Jesus? You want to see that he has been radically changed? Look no further than his endurance under afflictions. Look at what happens when he is put through the furnace.

What comes out is grace instead of spew.

What is the difference between a believer and a non-believer? It’s not just that believers suffer…it’s what happens when we suffer. It’s what happens when the Coke can is shaken up. The way of the believer is to not spew but to see grace come out. When orthodoxy leads to orthopraxy we get what we see from Paul here in this text.

Purity. Could be sexual purity. But might be more likely ethical purity, especially in handling financial matters. When we are pressed it can be tempting to cut corners to try to eliminate the suffering or the difficult circumstances. Hurt people hurt people. We can feel justified in sinning because we are hurt or victims. But the believer maintains purity.

Knowledge. Honestly, Paul’s meaning here is somewhat unclear. But likely he is talking about spreading knowledge of God and His gospel. When pressed what comes out is gospel. If you prick him he bleeds Bible. I think that’s likely close to Paul’s meaning.

Patience and kindness. These are fruits of the Spirit. Wednesday nights? It really tests our mettle doesn’t it? Do we respond in patience and kindness when kids are disrespectful? That’s tough isn’t it? But that’s what happens when we are pressed. Patience is reactive and kindness is proactive and positive. Patience is what happens when we are pressed…that’s what comes out. Kindness pursues others.

Genuine love. Again this is a fruit of the Spirit. To respond in love whenever we are pressed. To actively pursue others in love. This is really the cap of it all.

I’m going to rescue you. I’m going to change you. I’m going to solve Babylonian captivity. I’m going to rescue you from sin. But listen to Isaiah 49:15

that’s like letting the air out of a balloon isn’t it.

God doesn’t forget us even if we forget him.

There’s your name, right there. You think I’m going to forget you? You think I’m going to let you down?

There was a song that I used to love—okay I honestly would still probably rock out to it—it’s a song by Radiohead entitled Creep. I’m not recommending this song. It has—especially in the original—some very unhelpful language. But I am going to use this song, and often we can learn something about our culture and society through the heart cry that is in some of these very honest and gritty songs. I’ll read the lyrics as they appear on the radio and change one word.

When you were here before Couldn't look you in the eye You're just like an angel Your skin makes me cry

You float like a feather In a beautiful world I wish I was special You're so very special

Chorus:

But I 'm a creep I 'm a weirdo What the hell am I doing here?

I don't belong here

I don't care if it hurts I want to have control I want a perfect body I want a perfect soul

I want you to notice When I'm not around

You're so very special I wish I was special

CHORUS

She's running out again She's running out She run, run, run run Run

Whatever makes you happy Whatever you want You're so very special I wish I was special

CHORUS

In the original version of this song the word “very” is replaced by the F-bomb. This is an angry song about a young man that has a crush on a girl but he really does not feel like he is good enough for her. At the end of the day he wishes that he was special like her. “I want you to notice when I’m not around” is perhaps the most telling lyric. This young man feels insignificant and unnoticed. He would sacrifice his own identity just to be someone that would be liked.

This song is the cry of my generation. At least it is the cry of my own heart. Growing up I always felt this way. Maybe it was the necessary result of being a short kid with big ears and glasses. Maybe it has deeper familial issues at the core. (Dad, “meh” from the couch). I feel this song. Check that, I felt this song.

For most of my life I have had a deep desire to be noticed. Not necessarily in a “look at me, I’m the center of attention” type of way. More so in a, “Hi, Mike I’m glad that you exist” type of way. For years I killed parts of me that were “unacceptable”. I became whatever people wanted me to be. “Whatever makes you happy, whatever you want”.

Thankfully, God is healing me. Last night I wept after reflecting upon a different song. It’s a song that has grabbed my attention before. But last night I realized why it ministers to me so much:

HE KNOWS MY NAME LYRICS

I have a Maker

He formed my heart

Before even time began

My life was in his hands

I have a Father

He calls me His own

He’ll never leave me

No matter where I go

He knows my name

He knows my every thought

He sees each tear that falls

And He hears me when I call

If you read through this and cannot relate then that’s awesome. Please allow me to give you a ministry tip. You don’t heal a “creep” by convincing him you think he’s special. You heal a “creep” by letting him know that the One who lifts up the sun, hangs the stars, and holds the universe lovingly knows the number of his hairs. That heals brokenness.

There is no peace for the wicked. That’s not defined by your behavior as much as it’s defined by your name. And your name is defined by trust. Are you in Christ?

He’s with me.

What would have happened if I got to the counter and some person had said...”oh, he’s with me. My name is on there. Give him my reservation.”

That’s what Christ has done with us.

We’re with him.