Name Calling

Matthew 10:2-4
Now the names of he twelve apostles are these: first, Simon, who is called Peter, and Andrew his brother; James the son of Zebedee, and John his brother; Philip and Bartholomew; Thomas and Matthew the tax collector; James the son of Alphaeus, and Lebbaeus, whose surname was Thaddaeus: Simon the Cananite, and Judas Iscariot, who also betrayed Him.

Funny how God will park you in a verse to show you something. I've been hanging around this one for sometime. I know..I know...strange, yet I kept being drawn to it. A simple listing of names. The twelve who Jesus chose to teach and mentor before He returned to heaven. But it is the last name on the list that I kept looking at. Judas Iscariot.

We all know what he did. In fact, his name has become such an outcast that you don't find many parents who name their newborn son's "Judas Iscariot", thinking to themselves "I just like the way the name sounds".  No! The name has become synonymous with traitor and betrayer. The only reason we view Judas this way is because he died without ever making everything right. Do you think if Judas had not hung himself, and made his way to Calvary to stand before Jesus and ask forgiveness, that Jesus would have forgiven him? I think he would, but we'll never know will we? Judas took matters into his own hands and will forever be labeled "Who also betrayed Him". Four little words that are attached to his name that defines who the man was.

Addiction is like that. We have labels and names attached to us. Names like "Liar"..."Thief"..."Manipulator"...."Junkie"...."Drunk"...."No good"...and the list goes on and on and on. And with each name that is added to our list, the burden to end it all grows daily. Such a list hanging over a life will suck the very will and hope out of an individual. It will beat you down to you have no strength left to fight with. So many have taken their own lives only to be remembered by the list of names they had accumulated. God never intended for anyone to live like this. He is the NAME BREAKER! He is the great healer and restorer. He alone possess the power and authority to turn a life around. He alone reserves the right to name you. 

When you surrender to God and receive His gift of salvation, then you are given new names.
Names such as "Friend"...."Child of God"...."Chosen one". Names that restore your hope and lift you up.
One last thing before I finish this morning.
We saw how Judas Iscariot was labeled because of his actions toward Jesus.
Who is the first name on the list?
That would be Peter.
Why isn't he listed as the "One who denied Christ three times"?
Because he had been forgiven and that label had been stripped away.
Make sense?
I thought it would.
Do not carry those old names around with you today.

God on you....
mb