Today we will be talking about labels. Sometimes labels are important. Imagine going to the grocery store to get a can of green beans. But when you get there all the can goods are without labels. You do not know if you are getting green beans or corn.
Labels also give you important information. They supply you with nutritional information, ingredients, calories, carbs, fats, and so forth.
Labels can also divide. A print shirt from Gucci similar to the one I am wearing costs $590. A Faded Glory print shirt from Wal-Mart costs $10. I would never wear a Gucci shirt unless it was given to me. And I am sure that those who can afford a Gucci shirt would not wear a Faded Glory shirt. In fact, the Faded Glory folks are probably employees of the Gucci folks.
Labels often last a lifetime and beyond. To prove this point let us have a contest. I will begin a name and you finish it.
Attila the ---- Hun. Conan the ---- Barbarian. Billy the ---- Kid.
Buffy the ---- Vampire Slayer. Winnie the ---- Pooh.
Popeye the --- Sailor Man. Rahab the ---- Prostitute.
Larry the --- Breadman or Pastor.
For most of my teenage years, I was Larry the Loser. I looked at myself that way. I was unpopular in school. I was very introverted. I learned a skill of making fun of myself to amuse others. I was unsure of my abilities to accomplish anything. My dad had to get my first job for me by calling on one of his friends.
He also had to push me into getting my drivers license.
I married the first girl I dated which ended in divorce. I became afraid of committing myself to a long lasting relationship. In my prospective of things, my life until I reached the age of 30 was of little value.
Then I met Debbie. We married. And through unpleasant circumstances and my wonderful wife, I met Jesus. And over the next 32 years, I began to understand how valuable my life really is. I began to understand what I could accomplish. Jesus began drawing me out of my shell and employing me in his Kingdom work.
In Isaiah 62:2, I had this promise “---you will be given a new name by the Lord’s own mouth.”
And with a new name came a new purpose. Simon was a fisherman of fish. When he was given a new name, Peter, he became a fisherman of men. He had a new purpose.
Saul was a destroyer of the church. When he was given a new name, Paul, he became a builder of the church.
Our church is built on the foundation of Revelations 2:17
“Anyone with ears to hear must listen to the Spirit and understand what he is saying to the churches. To everyone who is victorious I will give some of the manna that has been hidden away in heaven. And I will give to each one a white stone, and on the stone will be engraved a new name that no one understands except the one who receives it.
If you are a Christian (victorious) and you are mature as a Christian (feeding on the hidden manna) then you have a new name. And no one can understand the new name but you. No one can know the new name but you. It is your challenge to find your new name. It is my calling to help you find your new name.
Over the next few weeks, I want to help you remove some labels in your life and replace them with labels that reflect who you really are. I want you to be sure that you know your name given “by the Lord’s own mouth.” Let’s begin.
Have you ever examined a dollar bill? Have you noticed the quality of details on the dollar? Each picture placed perfectly. Each line delicately drawn. Did you know that bank tellers are not trained to spot a counterfeit bill? They are trained to know what the true masterpiece of a dollar looks like. And in doing so they are able to spot the counterfeit.
Ephesians 2:10 “For we are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago.”
You are a masterpiece, a person's greatest piece of work. You are God’s masterpiece. You are God’s greatest piece of work. The Greek word is poiema and is the root word for poem. You are like a poem to God. You were crafted by skilled hands, not to be what you are, but to be what God intends for you to be. Like a master potter, He is forever molding you, changing you, and making you a new masterpiece daily.
And for what purpose? So you can accomplish for him the good things He planned for you before the foundations of the earth. You were designed to be here at this moment in this place. Wherever you work, it was God’s design for you to be there. Wherever you live, it was God’s design for you to live there. You were meant to be born for right now to accomplish Gods will, if you have a relationship with Jesus. Without that relationship, you cannot be all that God has called you to be.
Furthermore, He has equipped you with everything you need to accomplish his will. 2 Peter 1:3 “By his divine power, God has given us everything we need for living a godly life. We have received all of this by coming to know him, ----” God does not call you to live beyond your means. If He calls you, He will empower you to accomplish his will, which which He planned for you. Plus you also have this promise. Romans 8:28 “And we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them.”
Let’s look at an example of these principals in action. In Genesis, we read the story of a young boy. He is God’s masterpiece. God had great plans for Joseph. He gave Joseph dreams of how one day his brothers and even his father would bow before him. The brothers felt threatened so they threw God’s masterpiece in a well and sold him into slavery in Egypt.
Joseph is in slavery in a foreign land. I doubt if he thought, “God causes everything to work together for the good.” Perhaps he wondered where God was.
But God had supplied him with everything he needed to live a godly life. He used his gifts and talents to impress his owner, Potiphar, and is promoted to head slave. But he also catches the eye of Potiphar’s wife. She likes what she sees so she hits on him. Well, God has given him everything he needs to live a godly life so he refuses. She screams attempted rape and he is in prison. It is still hard for me to believe that he is thinking, “God causes everything to work together for good.”
He spends a few years in prison living a godly life. One day the Pharaoh has some troubling dreams that no one can interpret. But Joseph, because he is God’s masterpiece and because he has been living a godly life is given the interpretation by God and is elevated to the second in command of all of Egypt.
Due to his promotion, he was able to rescue his father, his brothers and their families from a seven-year draught. They indeed bowed at his feet as God had revealed to Joseph twenty-two years earlier.
And one more point before moving on. No masterpiece consists of a single brush stroke. It is a blend of colors and textures. We as a unit are the masterpiece that God is creating. You bring a uniqueness to the masterpiece that no one else can bring. Without you, the masterpiece suffers. Understand, you are important to God and to us.
You are more than a masterpiece. Romans 8:35 “Can anything ever separate us from Christ’s love? Does it mean he no longer loves us if we have trouble or calamity, or are persecuted, or hungry, or destitute, or in danger, or threatened with death?
No, despite all these things, overwhelming victory is ours through Christ, who loved us.”
Let’s do a check list here. Anyone here facing troubles or hardships? Maybe you seem to fight an on-going illness. Maybe you are having a difficult time with a loved one. Troubles come in many forms.
How about persecution? Maybe someone wants you to do something at work that is not ethical and you are catching heat about it. Or some old friends want to know why you changed and you are just not as much fun as you use to be.
How about hungry and homeless? I believe all of us here have food and shelter. There are those who do not. But perhaps you worry about the bills being paid and the groceries being bought.
Do you feel in danger or worry about dying? Maybe a physical problem has created some concern.
Well, Paul says in spite of any and all circumstances you find yourself in, you have overwhelming victory over it. The word Paul uses here is hupernikao. It means to “thoroughly conquer, to go beyond conquest.”
Think about David. Here was this little shepherd boy going up against the mightiest warrior that the Philistines had in Goliath. The odds were overwhelming against David. All he had was a slingshot and a stone. All it took was a slingshot and a stone. He slew Goliath. This one act of conquest set him on a path that would lead him to be the greatest king in the history of Israel. He went beyond a simple victory. He beat the odds. He won an overwhelming victory.
When David decided to fight Goliath, his brothers told him to go home. King Saul said it was ridiculous. But David went forth declaring the power of God. And he won.
Listen to Revelation 12:11 “And they have defeated him by the blood of the Lamb and by their testimony.”
You have overwhelming victory when you believe in Jesus. Jesus declares, “I have overcome the world” (John 16:33). Jesus shed his blood on the cross so that you might have overwhelming victory.
But your testimony plays a part also. How different would the story have been if David had said, “I am just a shepherd boy. I can fight a lion and a bear but I don’t think I can handle a giant.” What if he had replied to Saul “You are correct, oh great King. How ridiculous of me to think I could beat a giant.”
What is your testimony?
“Nothing ever goes my way.”
“My family relationship will never get any better.”
“I’m never going to lose this weight.”
“I’ll never break this habit.”
“I can’t forgive that person.”
In the Bible the word, “testimony” means “evidence”
These types of statements are the evidence of what you believe. Revelation 12:11 says they (those who believe in Jesus) have defeated him (satan) by the blood of Jesus and the evidence of their words. When you make negative comments about yourself (I cannot, I never will, things never will, my life stinks) all those remarks negate your defeat over the enemy. When you think negative thoughts about yourself realize the source.
Why was the Holy Spirit sent? He was sent to edify us, which is to build us up. He does not tear us down. satan is called the accuser. He accuses us. It is his goal to convince us of our worthlessness. When we speak negative things about ourselves, we relinquish power back to the enemy.
Be like David. When circumstances say you cannot, you say I will and believe it.
Not only are you a masterpiece and an over comer, you are also an ambassador. 2 Corinthians 5:20 “So we are Christ’s ambassadors; God is making his appeal through us. We speak for Christ when we plead, “Come back to God!”
What does it mean to be an ambassador? In the time of the New Testament, it meant to represent your country. It also meant to reflect your countries culture. And it meant to resonate or make your country appealing. That is what you are called to do.
You are called to represent the heavenly kingdom. You are the highest-ranking diplomat sent by God to represent the truth of your homeland. You are to carry yourself with dignity and pride. You are to be humble yet bold in knowing whom you represent. You represent the most powerful King of Kings and Lord of Lords. There is great power behind your call as an ambassador.
You are called to reflect your heavenly kingdoms culture. You are to follow those guidelines set by your king and not be influenced by the culture around you. You are an alien to this world because this is not your kingdom. At all times you should be mindful of the kingdom you serve.
You are to resonate your kingdom’s appeal. You should show kindness and mercy to all around you. You should be cheerful and full of hope. You should proclaim the message of your kingdom everywhere you go. That message is “Comeback to God.”
Perhaps you are thinking, “I do not recall applying for this position as ambassador.” Well, guess what. You did not.
John 15:16 “You didn’t choose me. I chose you. I appointed you to go and produce lasting fruit, ---”
You do not get to choose. Jesus chose you to be his ambassador when you accepted him. He appointed you to represent his kingdom, to reflect his kingdom’s heavenly principals, and to make his kingdom appealing. You do not have the opportunity to say “No.” The only choice you have is to be a good ambassador or a bad ambassador. Either way, the day will come when we all go to our native homeland, heaven, and stand before our King to answer for how well we represented him.
So that is it in a nutshell. We are all God’s masterpiece placed exactly where He needs us to display his kingdom. We are all over comers of the enemy and his schemes to be warriors for his kingdom. And we are all ambassadors of the King of Kings sent here to earth to represent, reflect, and resonate his kingdom.
