WHAT'S IN A NAME?

PROVERBS 22:1

What's in a name? That which we call a rose by any other name would smell as sweet. -William Shakespeare

Names are very important. Names identify places, items, animals and people. Names are often descriptive in the Bible much like nicknames in our day.

Abraham=father of a multitude
Nabal=fool
Daniel=God is my judge

Shorty
Greedy
Professor

Names may mean one thing but take on a different connotation:

Lucifer means "Bright One" but has a bad connotation as does Judas "Praise"

I. WHAT'S IN A NAME?

Let's play a little game. I'll call out a name and you raise your hand and tell me what you think of first when you hear that name.

Michael Jordan
Joshua
George Washington
Shadrach
Hitler
Paul
Benedict Arnold
Noah
Michael Phelps

What if I had called out your name? What would people say? What would your teachers say? Your friends? Your family? Other kids at school?

Proverbs 22:1 A good name is rather to be chosen than great riches, and loving favour rather than silver and gold.

Sometimes a bad "family name" can be overcome. Proverbs 10:7, 21:24

II. THE NAME OF JESUS [Pr. 18:10, 30:4-5, Mt. 1:21]

Many use His name as a curse word [Exodus 20:7, Deuteronomy 5:11]

Look at how the early Christians saw it! [Acts 2:21, 38; 3:6, 16; 4:7, 10, 12, 17-18, 30; 5:28, 40-41; 8;12; 9;13-15, 21, 27-29; 10:43, 48; 15:14, 17, 26; 16:18; 19:5, 13, 17; 21:13; 22:16

III. OUR NAME AS CHRISTIANS [Pr. 30:8-9, Jm. 2:7]

DON'T SHAME THE NAME!

David did! [2 Samuel 12:14]

Demas did! [Philemon 1:24, Colossians 4:14, 2 Timothy 4:10

Do you?

Do your actions make people say, "If that's a Christian I want no part of it!"

"Christian" means "little Christ"
Acts 11:26 And when he had found him, he brought him unto Antioch. And it came to pass, that a whole year they assembled themselves with the church, and taught much people. And the disciples were called Christians first in Antioch.
1 Peter 4:16 Yet if any man suffer as a Christian, let him not be ashamed; but let him glorify God on this behalf.

Did you know you are probably the best Christian somebody knows? So do you talk like a Christian? Dress like one? Act like one?

Do YOU have a good name?

Have you called on the Name of the Lord? [Rm. 10:9-13]

Are you dragging His name through the mud or are you honoring His name?