23andWE: A NEW NAME

We've been doing a series of 23 and we. This is a series about your DNA and a newness of Christ. Not just a new way of life, it gives you a new heart, a new mind. Last week, Seth did a new command previous week for that, Fred did a new covenant.

As he said, we are going to do a new name today. I believe that God wants us to know that everything about it, once you accept it, once you allow the Holy Spirit to take up residency inside of you, that there's not a thing about your life, that is old. All of it is new. Clear down to the name that God calls you by.

We'll get into that in a second. I want to refresh you guys, the people who've been here know the word that we've been using. But the whole series came about when Fred brought to our attention, the word I believe is pronounced khanos, am I pronouncing khanos? Yes.

And it means new. So I want you guys to see this. This is the actual definitions of it. It's new.

A respect's form recently made fresh, recent, unused, unworn. But I love this one here of a new kind, unprecedented novel. And then he's still right here, uncommon and unheard of. And those are the two that we're really going to concentrate on today with the new name.

It is unused. It's uncommon. It is something that is personal between you and Christ. And there is no other like it.

What a amazing thought to think there's what 8 billion people on the earth right now. And God looks at you and says you're not like any of the others, not that a person to the right or the left of you, you and the eyes of God are unique and special in your own way with him. That's an amazing, amazing thought. It really is.

So as we said, we're going to look at revelations today in chapter two, not three. Starting in verse 12. But a lot of people, even myself, when we hear the word revelation and excuse me if I say revelations, my grammar is not the greatest all the time. But most people think, oh, here comes the hell fire, brimstone message.

And it's the end of the world and all that kind of thing. This message today is nothing along those lines. So if you've got a little worried when you heard the word revelation, please just calm down for a second. We're going to talk about something new, not something old.

So the book of Revelation was written by the disciple John while he was exiled or stranded on the island of Patmos. It was written somewhere around 8070, 80 somewhere in that era. It is a vision that God gave him. So people say in how the body experienced it.

I don't exactly know. But what it was is it was God speaking about what is what is to happen from from right now forward. What is going to take place with the world and what is going to take place with the kingdom of God is what he was showing to him. So we're going to go ahead and read down through the verses that we're going to use today.

We're looking at Revelation 2 starting in verse 12. And it says, and to the angel of the church of Patmos, write these things says he who has the sharp two edged sword. I know your works and where you dwell where Satan's throne is. And you hold fast to my name and did not deny my faith, even in the days in which Antipas was my faithful martyr who was killed among you where Satan dwells.

Verse 14, but I have a few things against you because you have there those who hold the doctrine of Balaam who taught Balaam to put a stumbling block before the children of Israel, to eat things, sacrifice the idols and to commit sexual immorality. Thus you also have those who hold the doctrine of Nick, Nick, Nick, Lantis of the Nick, Lantis, excuse me, which thing I hate repent or else I will come to you quickly and will fight against them with the sword of my mouth. Revelation 2 17, key who has an ear, let him hear what the spirit says to the churches, to him who overcomes, I will give some of the hidden manatee and I will give him a white stone and on the stone a new name which no one knows except him who receives it. Let's go and pray with the message.

Father God, we thank you today. We tell you that we love you. We just thank you for the word that you've given us God. We thank you that that word never changes.

God, we thank you that you're with us in our hearts. We thank you for Jesus. And God, we ask that this message today speak to speak to us God, utilizing these words to touch us in our hearts, Father God, and allow us to see the truth of you. God, if there's someone here that doesn't know you today or hasn't accepted you, God, I ask that today, the day that the spirit overcomes their hearts and their mind and allow them to receive their new name, Father God, allow them to receive the freedom that you so greatly give to us.

God, we lift up this service today and praise to you and tell you that we love you. In Jesus name, amen. So this is in Revelation 6, a third letter. There's seven letters that are written to your seven different churches.

And I just noticed it this morning, the titling of the seven different correspondents or vision, whatever you want to call it, but they're titled the Loveless Church, the persecuted church, the compromising church, the corrupt church, the dead church, the faithful church, and the lukewarm church. So like I said, this one is the third church that's spoken of in Revelation, and it actually falls underneath of the heading of the compromising church. And as I was thinking about that this morning, we compromise a lot in life. We really do.

And I think that it's something that we need to start really thinking about and paying attention to. And before I get into any more of it, I want to identify, and I say this all the time, the church is not this building. You and I are the church. Your heart is the church.

So we need to stop blaming the things of life on the building, and we need to start taking accountability of ourselves. The first verse says, in Revelation 2, 12, it says, in the angel of the church, the parking lot is right. These things says, he who has the sharp two edged sword. At the beginning of each one of these letters, God is identifying something about himself, so that the people know who is speaking to them.

And he identifies himself as the sharp two edged sword. That is something that cuts both ways. And when you think of the Hebrews 4, 12 scripture, it says for the word God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two edged sword, piercing even the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and as the surner of the thoughts and intent of the heart. I believe God is telling us that he sees your actions, but more importantly, he sees your heart and your mind that is behind your actions.

There is no work, no deed, nothing along those lines, that can save you. It is the heart that is behind it. I believe that's what he's clearing up with the church, is that it is the internal that I need you to work on. Verse 13 says, I know your works.

I see the outside, I see the things you're doing. And where you dwell, where Satan's throne is. I don't believe that he's saying that this territory or this region is where Satan has set up his throne, and that's the only place that he dwells, and that's his home. What he's saying is, I see the evilness that is going on around you.

I see what's happening outside of the church. And he's telling them in that time frame that you hold fast to my name, you did not deny my faith, even in the days in which Antipas was my faithful martyr. I see all the craziness around you. I see that even in the desolate times when people were being persecuted and killed, that you was willing to still stand and say, my faith in Jesus is strong.

That's something we really need to grasp a hold of today. We live in a crazy society. And I believe that there's nothing new under the sun, and I believe the same things that were taking place in this time frame are taking place again today. We need to stand as they was in that time frame, and not be scared to say the word Jesus outside of these walls.

Your church goes everywhere. Then he says one thing, I talk about this word all the time. He says the word but on the next verse. And I talk about that because anytime you use the word but, everything previous to it becomes obsolete.

So I don't believe that God is saying like, none of that that you did mattered or anything like that. Saying at that time frame, you was holding fast to me. But now you're doing this. I need you to go back to what you were doing in that time.

I need you to not conform to the world that is taking place because you're scared or the times are changing that. I need you to stay true to what your first love when you first came to me. I have a few things against you. Because you have there those who hold to the doctrine of Balaam, who taught Balaam to put a stumbling block before the children of Israel, to eat the things sacrificed to idols, to commit sexual immorality.

Thus you have those who hold the doctrine of the nikalai, the n-word up there, which thing I hate. You guys have to excuse me, Fred and Seth this morning. They was messing with me and almost said the nikaladians. All right.

As I said, my education level sometimes isn't the greatest. And Fred and Seth find it funny to allow me to mispronounce the words, but I'm good with it. I'm good with it. Because it is he who shines in the situation, not I.

Amen. Amen. So you'll see that it talks about two different doctrines in there. It talks about the doctrine of Balaam and the doctrine of the nikaladians.

We're gonna roll with it. You guys got it up there. We're gonna roll with it though. I wanna talk to you about those two doctrines because it's something that we're definitely seeing in today and this life and like I said, there's nothing new.

But the doctrine of Balaam, Balaam itself was a false prophet. He was a man who only exterior a pure godly, appeared like he was a man of faith, but in his heart, he was not. If you go back into numbers from numbers 22 to about that, I think it's numbers 29. In the Old Testament, you'll see a very good story of Balaam and it talks about how King approached him and wanted him to curse the Israelites who were headed that way.

And what does he do with it? He prays to God to have these cursed. Won't go too much into it, but he suffers from that. He's not successful.

So because he was not successful, you know what he did? He got somebody else to do the dirty work for him. He got somebody else to bring in the many women to be a distraction to those of faith. It's an issue in today's culture.

When I can't damage you myself, what do I do? I gossip to my neighbor, to destroy your reputation, to turn them against you, to make them your stumbling block inside of things. That's a doctrine that has taken place again. The second doctrine that you see in there is the doctrine of the Nicoliteins.

There we go, God. This is a doctrine to exalt leadership, to make the man greater than the God. It's a spirit or a person that wants to be seen for their title. It's a person who thinks that they are greater than you.

It's a pastor who looks down his nose at his congregation because he stands on a platform. And unfortunately, we see this. God made us all the same. God did not make me no greater than you.

And if any of it, God made me less than. And this is one of the doctrine spiritual things that Jesus hates the most. And he says it, which thing I hate. If you look at Matthew, starting in verse 25, it says, but Jesus called to himself and said, so words of Jesus himself, you know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them and those who are great exercise authority over them.

Yet it shall not be so among you, but whoever desires to become great among you, let him be your servant. And whoever desires to be first among you, let him be your slave. Just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve and to give his life as a ransom for many. I want to talk to the men for a second, the fathers, the husbands.

If you want to be a great leader in your household, you must serve. And this hit me hard this morning. If you want your wife to love you in the way that you want to be loved, you cannot treat her as a servant. You must be a servant to her.

If you are in any type of leadership position in your job or anything like that, you can show a God, the character, you can show a God, the heart and their situations without ever using the word Jesus, without ever by the front of somebody. Serve your employees. In the military, the ones that I had the most respect for, that became officers leadership, were the ones who came up through the ranks to get there, the ones who served and placed to get to that spot. They were the ones that had the respect.

If you want respect in this world, and I'm not talking about respect of the world, the respect that we are called to as followers of Christ, as the church, we must be willing to serve. And this is clear down to everything from scrubbing a toilet to preaching a message. No, I don't preach a message to be a pastor. God has chosen me to bring a word, to serve you guys, to help along the lines, to serve in the faith, to uplift, to encourage.

And it's so important in the same days that we live in, that we as men need to step up and start serving. And I want you to see that what God says, if you've accepted these doctrines into your life, if you've walked away from your first love that you had the word that he uses. First word, first 16, the very first word, repent. I promise I wasn't gonna get emotional with this part right here, but I've gotta talk to you guys about something real quick.

Yesterday as I was going over these slides versus, just really spending time in them trying to correct everything. When I hit that word, repent, my phone went off. And I got a message that a good friend of mine, from I actually could talk to you, pass away. Guys, we don't have time.

We're not promised tomorrow. We're not promised to leave this church today. If you have a doctor in your life, if you have a wickedness that is interceded on your heart, don't wait for tomorrow. I don't know, it's completely away from this message, but I really want to, for you guys to understand this.

Now is your time. It says that it'll come like a thief in the night. Your death will come unexpectedly. You don't have time to wait till tomorrow.

When God leads you to do something, don't say, well, I've got this or I've got that. I can take care of that later on. And I want you to understand that repentance is not just coming up to the altar and speaking some words. Repentance means to turn from.

The doctrines that have interceded on your life, the things that you've allowed of corruption to walk into your home and it was we have men as men, the things that we're allowing to take place with our children and stuff like that, repent from it today, turn from it today, because you're not promised what tomorrow is. Because I want to say, or else I will come to you quickly and will fight against them with the sword of my mouth. First he says, I will come to you. God's going to let you know that you're wrong before you ever let's you know anything around you wrong.

God's going to let you know to repent in a situation before you worry about during the situation and how external of you. When he says, with the sword of my mouth, there will come a day where you will stand in front of him and his word is what will determine your fate of whether you spend eternity in the glory of heaven and in his presence praising him or whether you will spend it somewhere else. And like I said, I'm not going to preach fire, but I'm saying all that kind of thing. But you see what I'm meaning by that of that other place.

We don't, but word of my mouth. If that's not, that is the most fearful thing in life and in existence of attorney. To hear the words, apart from me, for I do not know you, that cuts deep, that cuts deep and we all need to take that into consideration in and into heart. The only way to do things is with a true relationship with Christ, because Jesus opposes any person within his church that's who promoted a tolerant attitude towards sin.

Especially those who follow Christ. Repent from it means to walk away from it. It doesn't mean to stand there and say, oh well, it is just part of life today. It's what, it's just what we do in the world.

Forget about what you do in the world. What are you doing Christ? So here's the meat and potatoes of what I really want to talk to you guys to today. It's verse 17.

It says, he who has an ear, let him hear what the spirit says to the churches, to him who overcomes, I will give some of the hidden man to eat and I will give him a white stone and on that stone, a new name written, which no one knows, except him who receives it. First part says he who has an ear. All of us have a physical floppy little thing on the side of our head. But I don't believe that that's what's being spoken of.

The ear that's being spoken is, is are you willing to listen to what it's talking about? The spirit, are you willing to listen to God? Are you willing to hear his word? Are you willing to take it in?

You can be willing to come here to church and sit. You can be willing to, to hear the words that are coming out of my mouth. But it's more than just that. It's are you willing to have it in your heart?

Are you willing to truly hear what's being said by God? But it says here what the spirit says, not spirits. There's one God, there's one spirit, there's one. Stop listening to all the things of the world and considering it a God and start listening to what God is saying.

But then it says to the churches. Now this letter was designed and written to one specific culture, one group of people. But he uses the word churches. Again, I tell you that you and I are the church.

The message that was written at this timeframe and was sent to this specific territory was for all that were, all that are, and that all were to come. There's a message that is to all of us, to him who overcomps. There's so much in just this one verse. But I want you to see out where it overcomps.

There's only one who overcomps. There's only one spirit that overcomps. But I want you to see what he means by this word overcomms here and in the definition of this for you and I, it says of Christians that hold fast their faith, even unto death against the power of their foes and temptations and persecutions. You will be tempted.

There's things of the world that look delightful. Are you willing to hold to your faith in Christ in these situations? That is what makes you an overcomer. All the other things of the world do nothing for you except for satisfying here and now personality.

To be a true overcomer, you must hold fast to your faith no matter the consequences of it. It don't matter if the next door neighbor doesn't like you. It doesn't matter if the people on the street think that you sound crazy talking about Jesus. Hold fast to your faith.

That will give some of the hidden man to eat. And this is where that personal relationship comes in that faith in Christ. He says, I will give you the hidden manna. The hidden manna is best described in John 6 verse 47.

Well, starting in 47, it says, most assuredly I say to you, he who believes in me has everlasting life. You who has the faith in me will receive this. I am the bread of life. Your fathers ate the manna in the wilderness and are dead.

This is the bread which comes down from heaven, that the one may eat of it and not die. I am the living bread which came down from heaven. If anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever. And the bread that I shall give is my flesh, which I shall give for the life of the world.

He wants to be the greatest, has to be last, as a ransom for the world. But once you see it, it says, your father's ate of the manna of the wilderness and are dead. It's a true representation in what he's speaking of, that when you eat of only the things of the world, and I guess that manna that was given to them was given to them from God, it rained down. I totally know that.

But when they foretook in it, they only ate of it as it was substance of living right here and right now. He says that my flesh, I shall give my flesh. That bread that you eat of is your faith in knowing that the man's hands and feet were pierced for you and I. That is the faith that you hold to.

That is the bread that you eat of that will give you life. Not life here, life with him. To hear those words, good job, my young and faithful servant. You must eat of that bread.

Says, I am the living bread which came down from heaven. He who descended. It is God that came to us, it is God that gave it to us. And again, I can't say it enough.

The only way to this manna is with a personal relationship with Christ. The only way to this faith is with a personal relationship with Christ. Your YouTube viewing of the big name churches, you're sitting in this building, not the church, in this building on Sunday, is not your faith. Your faith is a submissive heart to Christ.

Your faith is a willingness to truly believe and confess that yes, you are the one who died for me. I receive you. That's what I guess is very good. He says, then the word and.

I will give you a white stone. But that word and. If you hold fast to your faith, if you believe in me, if you eat of this manna, I will do this for you. I will give you a white stone.

This white stone is super significant. So a lot of the context of the Bible was written in, you know, for their understanding of that time. And I want you to know what a white stone, just some of the things, a white stone, represented at that time frame. So the court system then was of the church, which is what Kelly said it.

And any type of law violations, anything like that was brought before them. And one of two things would happen. You'd be found guilty or not guilty, much like our court system today. They didn't bang a gavel though.

They would lay out a black stone if you were guilty. They would lay out a white stone if you were pronounced innocent. God is telling you right now that if you are willing to eat of his manna, if you are willing to hold fast be an overcomer to to faith in him to innocent. Now, I can tell you right now, as I stand here, there is nothing about this world that I am innocent in.

Nothing. I deserve death. I deserve a prison cell. There is a lot of things that I did in this world that I shouldn't stand here today.

But God says, I don't see that. I use that word. But everything previous to this moment right now, right here, obsolete, it's gone, it's done, it's taken care of. Why?

Because he took that white stone and said this. Paul stood out there. Well, there's something else about that white stone that's super significant. In that time frame, when they would come into the cathedrals and have these sporting events and that the people who trained and pushed forward and the athletes that the winner, the conqueror of the event would be given a white stone of a certain type.

And what this white stone did said that you're accepted to the afterparty. Now, I'm not talking about the barclos in 2 AM afterparty. I'm talking about the event where you are congratulated, where you are seen as victorious, where your hard work is acknowledged. I'm not saying that to you today.

I want everybody to hear it. That God is saying to all of us right here right now, that if you are willing to believe and you are willing to receive, you are innocent. And you're accepted into what is to come. It talks about that also in Revelation 19 verse 9, it says, then he said to me, right, blessed are those who are called to the marriage supper of the Lamb.

And he said to me, these are the true sayings of God. You're accepted. You're invited. Not just to the wedding, which will come when God comes back.

That marriage will take place. But you're invited to partake in the after supper with me. God is laying a white sown to each one of our hands today and saying that to us. The question is, are you willing to take your hands out of your pocket and grab ahold of it?

Because God wants to give it to you. On that white sown, he says this, and on the stone, I write a new name. Excuse me, and on the stone, a new name written. Your name is already on that stone.

But what does it say about the name? The kai nas, the name. That is the word that's actually used here. Unheard of name, an uncommon name.

As I was thinking about this this week, it really made me realize that the name for the kai fur is tied to a lot of things that are of this world. But what God calls me isn't attached to that at all. So he's saying that once you've competed in the event, and once you're accepted into this, and once I've found you not guilty, I want you to understand that not even do I want you to think an iota of any of those things. So much that even your name, I don't want it to be tied to anything of this world.

I want you to realize yourself that you are a new creation, that your bloodline is new, that your heritage is new, that everything about it is new. And there's no one knows except him who receives it. It's personal. It's between you and God.

And we need to understand this, that in our repentance, in our relationship with Christ, and all of it, it is you and him. It's not you, him and your family. It's not you, him and the church. It's not you, him and your wife.

All of those things are benefits of your relationship with Christ. You being a servant or a leader or any of it, those are all benefits of your relationship with Christ and how they're done. But it's so personal that it's just between you and him. He doesn't want to speak the name to anybody else.

He wants to speak directly to you, to be heard the first time about you. When you can't go through it. I want you to see something I've seen this week before we end here, it's just two more verses. The stone in the name, it marks you as forgiven, serving of Christ, and a victorious conqueror is what I want you to take away from here today.

But I also want you to know that God does not change. For today, tomorrow, yesterday, any of it. As a matter of fact, so much that there was an 800-year spand that he's showing us right here right now, that he spoke the same words. Isaiah 62, 2 says the Gentiles, they'll see your righteousness.

And all kings, your glory, you shall be called by the new name, which the mouth of the Lord will name. Little Father in Isaiah, it says, you shall leave your name as a curse to my chosen. For the Lord God will slay you and call his servants by another name. For your servant of Christ, you are a new creation.

If you have allowed him to intercede on your heart, you have a new name. But more importantly, you're accepted. Right how you are, you are accepted.