WHAT’S IN A NAME?

Phil 2:1-11(Good News Bible)— Your life in Christ makes you strong, and his love comforts you.  You have fellowship with the Spirit, and you have kindness and compassion for one another.  I urge you, then, to make me completely happy by having the same thoughts, sharing the same love, and being one in soul and mind.  Don’t do anything from selfish ambition or from a cheap desire to boast, but be humble toward one another, always considering others better than yourselves.  And look out for one another’s interests, not just for your own.  The attitude you should have is the one that Christ Jesus had:

He always had the nature of God, but He did not think that by force He should try to become equal with God.  Instead of this, of His own free will He gave up all He had, and took the nature of a servant.  He became like man and appeared in human likeness.  He was humble and walked the path of obedience all the way to death- His death on the cross.  For this reason God raised him to the highest place above and gave Him the name that is greater than any other name.  And so, in honor of the name of Jesus all beings in heaven, on earth, and in the world below will fall on their knees, and all will openly proclaim that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

   According to the dictionary the definition of name is: 1. word or words by which a person, animal, place or thing is called or known.  2. Word or words applied descriptively (name or title describing someone)  3. reputation: fame

  Today great importance is placed on how we are known in relation to our position over others.  A good example of this is the title of CEO.  Being a CEO literally means being above everyone else in a particular organization.  Being better than someone or, better yet, everyone, is a goal that too many individuals strive to achieve.  What they don’t seem to understand is that being “on top” means being a target for all those beneath.  Competition for position or status can become ugly.  Friends are forgotten and families are all but put aside in the struggle to become “top gun” of a corporation or even the small staff of a church.  A total focus on achievement leaves no room for being a husband, dad, friend, brother, son……. You will notice that I did not get into the word battle of being politically correct here and only used the male terms and not the neutral words used to strip a person to a non-entity.  You are also intelligent enough to know that this battle for ego power is not limited to just the male of the species.

  If the battle is so deadly…..sometimes literally… then why are so many people out there willing to sacrifice so much for so little.  Whoops. Did I say so little?  Yes, to gain “everything” at the cost of everything seems like a losing battle to me.  To become famous to the extent that no matter where you go in the world you are known and therefore never left alone, and have no person who you can trust, love, care for, be cared by, confidant, soul mate, and be a friend to, is an incredible price to pay.  What value is there in being alone?  Do you enjoy your multi million dollar home with only paid servants to tend to your needs while on duty?  Do you like eating alone, or just being in that big old house all alone?  Is it any wonder why the psychiatrists are having field day dealing with these people?  Is it any wonder why there is a flood of “new” drugs available to treat all the symptoms of being without God?  Whoops!  I did it again.  What do I mean being without God?  When we focus so completely on becoming so important that nothing else matters……where is God?  When families are shattered and lives are trashed in the process of becoming famous or king, or CEO, or head honcho of the corner bar, someone is being left out.  When the name becomes more important than what the position or name could do then God is left out.

  When God sent His Son to become one of us a terrible price had to be paid.   Jesus gave up His heavenly position to become a humble human being.  But even from the beginning God tried to make us know just who His son was…….Matt 1:23 A virgin will become pregnant and have a son, and He will be called Immanuel (which means, “God is with us”)   Mark 1:1 This is the Good News about Jesus Christ, the Son of God.  Luke 1:31-32  You will become pregnant and give birth to a son, and you will name Him Jesus.  He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High God.  John 1:1, 14  Before the world was created, the Word already existed; He was with God, and He was the same as God.  The Word became a human being and, full of grace and truth, lived among us. We saw His glory, the glory which He received as the Father’s only Son.

   So you want a name that brings attention.  You want everyone to know you have power to create and destroy.  You want adoration…but with no strings.  You want the power huge amounts of money provides.  You want to be able to buy friends, love, loyalty, companionship, trust, sympathy,…….and the list goes on.  Will you succeed?  Will your life be full and complete? Where will you spend eternity..? Or will that too be just another part of the price for notoriety.

   Having a goal to achieve the best one can become is not bad.  Having goals that will bring attention to you by virtue of the work done to attain those goals is not bad either.  Being a CEO or president or “boss” or what ever title that indicates being on top is not bad.  The bad part is trying to do it without God as your CEO.  The bad part is bypassing His goals, His directions, His love, His compassion, His Son, to gain a worthless title that has no meaning or power in the Kingdom of God.  Without the Son there is no Kingdom.  Without the Son there is no hope.  Without the Son life is over.

    I will follow the one whose name causes “all beings in heaven, on earth, and in the world below” to fall on their knees and “will openly proclaim that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.”  The power of that name makes the enemy shake in his boots.  That name cancels every lie the enemy tells us and nullifies every promise that the enemy makes.  The name of Jesus drives away every doubt and darkness that come with the words of the enemy. At the name of Jesus, EVERY knee will bow and EVERY tongue will confess that HE is LORD.