What's In A Name
November 23, 2019      |     By: Sam McVay, Jr.      |      Category: Sermons      |      Location: Wichita
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Spiritual Identity in God Appointed Names

Philippians 2:9-11 (ESV)
9 Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name,
10 so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth,
11 and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

All through the Bible people’s names were linked to their destiny or purpose or circumstances.

Jesus is said to have the Name above every other name.

According to the Bible a name is more than a designation of just another person, but is more pointedly connected to the prophetic purpose or spiritual identity of that person.

“Adam” means “man”
“Eve” means “living”
“Moses” means “drawn out”
“Samuel” means “heard of God”

Sometimes names were changed to show and highlight progression in God’s purpose in their lives.
Around 60 times in the scriptures a person’s name was changed.

Abram, “exalted Father”, is changed to Abraham, “father of many”.
Jacob, “supplanter, deceiver” is changed to Israel, “overcame with God”
Simon, “listen”, to Peter, “Rock”

We tried to sense the season we were in and named our children accordingly.
The Lord used my name “Samuel” in a significant way to clarify my call.

Three points from all of this:
1. May the name above every other name be more highly exalted in your heart and life.
2. Your name is significant and connected to the sovereign work of the Lord in your life.
3. The Lord named his Church:
Matthew 21:13 (ESV)
13 He said to them, “It is written, ‘My house shall be called a house of prayer,’ but you make it a den of robbers.”

That is our spiritual identity.
It is not a couple of people’s identity, it’s all of our identity.
It really could be our eternal identity. Not all that we do but core to who we are.

Who are we? We are a supernaturally born family who perpetually interacts with their God.

God designed us to Dialogue with Him!

Jesus is the beginning fulfillment of the Temple according to John 2:21 and what is He doing in His ministry and in a resurrection body now in heaven?
Praying to His Father.

John 2:21 (ESV)
21 But he was speaking about the temple of his body.

Luke 5:16 (NIV)
16 But Jesus often withdrew to lonely places and prayed.

Hebrews 7:25 (ESV)
25 Consequently, he is able to save to the uttermost those who draw near to God through him, since he always lives to make intercession for them.

And the Holy Spirit is working in all of us, His Temple, to get us to this place of our prophesied spiritual identity.

I believe we are in a House of Prayer Cultural Revolution in the church globally.
A House of Prayer is people living in and from interacting with the Presence of God in everything they do.

We are transitioning from a prayer-less church culture that asks for a couple minute blessing upon hours of work - to a House of Prayer people who live and work in a spirit of prayer.

All of Hell is against this happening.
The flesh in disciples is resistant to culture change happening.
A religious spirit has no place for this to happen.

But the Lord is radically committed to it happening as he said: “My House Shall be a House of Prayer”!