Called by Name; Loved by Nature
The Gospel of Luke • Sermon • Submitted
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Names. We all have one. Some of us have several depending on our stage of life, where we work, or the names that our friends hang on us at some point in life. Names hold tremendous value and names have been used to forge and create nations and industry. Names are pretty important.
I like to study names. Well, let me clarify that; I like to study the origin of names. Why was someone given a particular name? What does it mean or signify? One of the great places to learn the origin of a name is within the ancient world, and especially in mythology. When you think about it, its the perfect place to research different names. Mythology itself is predicated on fictional accounts of different gods, goddesses, people and events. Maybe that’s why it is so fascinating… there can be some pretty elaborate origin type stories. In fact, the ancient Greeks believed in the power of a name. It is said that the poet Homer had defined “Name” as something given to man by his parents. That though this event of “name-giving”, there is an attempt to awaken good omina. A person’s name was so important that in Homer’s epic ‘The Odyssey’, a stranger must give his name if he claims the right of hospitality, only then can a gift be given him. The name is a constituent part of a man. Only when it is lost is his whole nature destroyed. To be without a name is abnormal acc. to the ancient historian Heroditus.
Hercules, for example, has a great origin story. However, what’s important for today’s message is how he got his name.
Hercules was born with the name Alcides. He was the son of Zeus and Alcmene and the foster son of Ampthitryon. He was a great-grandson and half-brother of another Greek hero, Perseus. Now, Hera, who was Zeus’ wife, knew that Alcides was her husband’s illegitimate son and sought out to destroy him. In order to appease Hera, the name Hercules was taken. This name in fact means “Glory of Hera”, which signifies that Hercules would become famous through his difficulties with the goddess. See? Kind of crazy, but also fun to look into.
Anyway, what does Hercules have to do with the Gospel of Luke? Well, nothing really.
Except… there is something quite spectacular happening in this pericope that many people just simply skim over or miss the significance. It has to do with names. For many people who read the Bible, they don’t see anything of particular value happening here. Jesus is choosing 12 apostles, His closest friends, to learn from Him and emulate His teachings. The two instances in which actually naming occurs can be easily missed.... but.... I think that is a tragic mistake.
Called by Name
Called by Name
Two reasons why we should spend a Sunday talking about this subject. First, it is the inspired Word of God. There are no words found within the God-breathed, Spirit protected, all sufficient Word of God. Every single word is used for a reason and there for your benefit as you walk this Pilgrim’s path. The second is this; your name is just as important as the others mentioned in section of scripture. But.... your name changes.
In Israel as among other peoples there was awareness of the significance attached to a name, and of the power which resided in it. The first and later utterance of a name means more than formal endowment with, and use of, a means of naming someone. By giving someone a name, one establishes a relation of dominion and possession towards him.
Thus acc. to Genesis 2:19-20 Adam names all the animals. This means that he exercises dominion over creation and relates it to his own sphere.
Now out of the ground the Lord God had formed every beast of the field and every bird of the heavens and brought them to the man to see what he would call them. And whatever the man called every living creature, that was its name. The man gave names to all livestock and to the birds of the heavens and to every beast of the field. But for Adam there was not found a helper fit for him.
To name a conquered city (2 S. 12:28) or lands (Ps. 49:11) is to establish a right of possession and to subject them to one’s power.
Now then gather the rest of the people together and encamp against the city and take it, lest I take the city and it be called by my name.”
Their graves are their homes forever, their dwelling places to all generations, though they called lands by their own names.
In times of distress forsaken and threatened women ensure male protection by requesting the name of a man and thereby seeking to become his possession (Is. 4:1).
And seven women shall take hold of one man in that day, saying, “We will eat our own bread and wear our own clothes, only let us be called by your name; take away our reproach.”
Yes, names are significant. They have depth. They have meaning. They have power. They are who you are.
You have a name. It is special. It is given by your parents. It is given with a lot of thought. But, that’s not the only thing that is beautiful about your name.
Your name is known. It is known by the one who holds the stars and planets in their positions. It is known by the one who called all things into existence by the power of His Word. It is known by the one who watches over you with every breath you take. It is known by the God who, from time eternal, has already set forth His divine plan for the redemption of the world. Your name is known by God.
Listen to Isaiah 43:1
But now thus says the Lord, he who created you, O Jacob, he who formed you, O Israel: “Fear not, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by name, you are mine.
That’s a truly remarkable thought isn’t it? In this verse what we find is God doing something only God can do. He transforms.
Let’s look at the Scripture in Luke again. We will see the same thing.
Remember, this is after a night of prayer. Jesus would not make this decision on His own, without the Father’s guidance and care. He prayed. For a full night he prayed. Then he transformed those who followed Him. Again, many will see just a list of names… what we should see is that they were all called by name and then changed. This is evident in two instances. The first being his disciples.
Jesus called his disciples to Him after a night of prayer. (vs. 13) This is a very important word. Called. It means that they were led, directed, guided, drawn to… Jesus because of His voice calling them to Him. And, the best part is that His disciples came to Him.
Now this is not the initial calling of the twelve. Luke has already told how Jesus called Simon and Levi, and in the other gospels we read how Jesus called the others also, and he did those individually. Jesus had far more disciples than twelve. On one occasion we are told he sent seventy of his disciples out on a particular preaching mission. From that larger group of disciples Jesus selects twelve, who would occupy an intimate place with him, and who, from this time forward, are not merely to be considered disciples, but are also commissioned as apostles.
However, the amazing detail of this is the word called. He called them. All of them. His disciples. We don’t know how many there were, but we do know that there were more than 12. And they all came to Him. I can’t help but think of the words of Jesus in John 10:3
To him the gatekeeper opens. The sheep hear his voice, and he calls his own sheep by name and leads them out.
They were His. What does that mean exactly? Well, now we are getting into some controversial area. Many people don’t correctly understand what is known as predestination. Basically it is the belief that God is sovereign over all things. He knows all things before hand. If He knows your name, then He knows your life. These disciples did not choose Jesus. In fact, it was Jesus who went to each one and called them… by name.
See, for those who are in Christ Jesus, meaning that they believe by faith the He is the Son of God, died on the cross, rose again three days later and ascended into heaven… then they are what we would call ‘saved’. However, the Bible calls us redeemed. Romans 3:23-24
for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus,
We are redeemed from the wrath that is against sin. Specifically, that means death. Romans 6:23 is truthful in revealing this to us.
For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.
The thing is… you were not able to choose that. God called you to Him. Through Jesus. In one instance Jesus is teaching and He reveals this by saying that no one can come to the Father except through Him. John 14:6
Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.
With that out of the way, what is the purpose of calling you to Him? Transformation.
Look at the specific words here. Verse 13 and 14 use the same terminology. Jesus calls and then he ‘names’. He changed 12 disciples into apostles. And he changed Simon to Peter. A change. A renewal. A task. A purpose. A life. An eternity. All given in that transformation.
Friends and fellow pilgrims in Christ. The world wants to tell you that being a Christian isn’t really all that important. You’re just like everyone else. It’s ok to act like everyone else because that’s how you show love and inclusivity. The truth is… you’re not like everyone else. You have a special name. One that was given to you at birth and one that is given to you in your second birth… you are now an heir with Christ. You are a child of God. You are a citizen of the Kingdom of God. You are transformed. You are new!
You are called by the name your Father in heaven knows… and given a new name. A name that is forever recorded in the Book of Life.
Loved By Nature
Loved By Nature
What an amazing work of God! But… ok. Here’s the elephant in the room.
Each one of these men, including Matthias - who was chosen by lot to replace Judas - and Saul (who became Paul - and that’s another remarkable transformation of a man who was called by his name!); all died terrible deaths as martyrs of the faith. Well, except for John. Although, he did suffer injustice and was exiled to the island of Patmos. So.... here’s the thing; How is the transforming work of God… a good thing? How can I say that these men being transformed is an amazing work of God? Better yet, how can I say that it’s a good thing for you? That being called by your name, and transformed through Christ, is a great thing?
The answer is love.
Follow me here. Look at these men. Better yet, look to Jesus.
The New Testament sometimes refers to the twelve as disciples, and at other times refers to them as apostles, leading some people to the conclusion that the word disciple means the same as the word apostle and vice versa. But that is not the case. Their meaning is quite different: the identity, or the job of an apostle is quite distinct from that of a disciple. We have seen that the Greek word for disciple, mathetes, means simply a learner or a student, one who attached himself to a rabbi to learn and serve. The task of an apostle is a very special one. The word, taken from the Greek apostolos, comprises the prefix, apo, which means, out of, or, from, and the root, stelo, meaning, to send. So an apostle, literally, is one who is sent.
The first apostle that we meet in the New Testament is not Peter, or Paul, or James, or John; it is Jesus himself. He defines his role as one who is sent by the Father. Jesus was sent, through the mercy and grace of God, by His everlasting love for the world (John 3:16), in order to call us… you… me… your family… your friends… all who are called… to life that is new, transformed and everlasting.
And Jesus suffered. Greatly.
The cost for you to become a child of God… to have a new name… is astounding. We are not able to satisfy such a cost. There isn’t anything we could ever do in order to purchase our redemption from sin. Jesus could. Isaiah 53:10-11
Yet it was the will of the Lord to crush him; he has put him to grief; when his soul makes an offering for guilt, he shall see his offspring; he shall prolong his days; the will of the Lord shall prosper in his hand. Out of the anguish of his soul he shall see and be satisfied; by his knowledge shall the righteous one, my servant, make many to be accounted righteous, and he shall bear their iniquities.
It was the will of God, the Father, to send out His Son… to suffer… but, to save.
These men who Jesus calls… and sends out… will suffer… but they will save! They were shown a love that surpasses anything that we could ever display. It is an endless love… that comes from the very author of love. Please… as I preach these words… hear them… 1 John 4:16 cries out within the darkness of our suffering a light that shines brighter than any sun.
So we have come to know and to believe the love that God has for us. God is love, and whoever abides in love abides in God, and God abides in him.
These men… Peter, Andrew, James, John, Philip, Bartholomew, Matthew, Thomas, James, Simon the Zealot, Judas the son of James… they abided in Jesus. Because of that God abided in them. They went on to be the proclaimers of the Gospel in which your are recipients of… a love that knows no time or place… only eternity.
JI Packer, in a series of Bible Study books from LIfeGuide writes, “Abide is an old English word for “remain,” “stay steady” and “keep your position.” What it means to abide in Christ—that is, always to be resting on him, anchored to him, fixed in him, drawing from him, continually connected and in touch with him. There is no more precious lesson to learn, no more enriching link and bond to cherish, no more vital connection to keep snug and tight, so that it never loosens, than this. Abiding in Christ brings peace, joy and love, answers to prayer, and fruitfulness in service. The abiding life is the abundant life.”
This is the point of John 15. Jesus is talking to His disciples before he is arrested. He says that He is the true vine and the Father is the vinedresser. He tells His disciples in John 15 verses 4 and 5; “Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit by itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in me. I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing.”
He is saying that the strong bond that unites the vine and the branches has to do with the sap that flows through them. Jesus does not here use the word “sap,” but nonetheless gives a lengthy excursus on love in a way suggestive of the sap in a vine; this is because he speaks of the love flowing in just one direction, from Christ towards the disciples, not in the reverse direction, just as the sap flows from the vine into the branches and not the other way round. The whole picture is centered on the love that flows and gives life, like the sap in a plant.
…This way of speaking about love invites the disciple to understand that we receive before we give; that we are not the origin of the love, and that we are loved before we love. It is an invitation to learn something the disciple often has trouble putting into practice: to allow ourselves first to be loved by Christ, before attempting to ourselves love.
Allowing oneself to be loved by Christ, to be loved by God through Christ, is opening oneself to this love, just as the branch opens to the sap it receives from the vine and which gives it life. How easy this is for the branch, and how difficult for us! We have so much trouble accepting being loved by Christ, welcoming this love that Christ lavishes upon us and which gives us life!
Beloved, please hear the heart which speaks these words.... you have been given a name that is powerful and eternal. You have been given the name of Jesus. Through Jesus, you have been called to redemption. You have been included in the vine… the vinedresser sends His love to you… nothing can break that bond… you are renewed in that name… all through the love of God… the love of God which calls to you everyday… and reminds you… you are His and He is yours.