Renamed By Christ Part 2

Let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith. When Christ calls someone, life is never the same. Jesus called Peter from a life by the sea to a life he never could have imagined.

For his new task, Peter had to accept a new name from his new master. From the Moody Church in Chicago, this is Running to Win with Dr. Erwin Lutzer, whose clear teaching helps us make it across the finish line. Today we take another step on a journey through the life of Peter, a man chiseled by the master's hand. Pastor Lutzer, God used Peter, and yet none of us can know whom God will use in the future. And you know, throughout history, Dave, God has always had those people whom he could depend upon, not because of their own strength, but because of the strength that he gave them. And one of those men is Bonhoeffer. Many of you will recognize his name, of course, during the days of Hitler, he stood against the regime and eventually was hung for his faith. But I want to ask you a question, and I'm going to answer this question at the end of this broadcast. Bonhoeffer and Niemoller met together and they began the Confessing Church to stand against Hitler. Now the question is, why is it that the Confessing Church eventually broke apart? What was the issue?

These are the kinds of things that I talk about in my book entitled Hitler's Cross, how the cross of Christ was used to promote the Nazi agenda. And it's our monthly resource. For a gift of any amount, it can be yours. Here's what you do.

Go to rtwoffer.com or call us at 1-888-218-9337. And be sure to stay till the end because I'll be answering the question that I posed. If you were to have a classroom of children, there would be no way that you could predict how God is going to use some of these children. Some of the least likely may become the most important in God's kingdom because Jesus sees things in people that others may not see. So first of all, Christ knows who you are. Secondly, he knows what you can become. And thirdly, he has the power to make the difference, the power to make the difference. One day Seneca, one of those ancient philosophers, cried up in his desperation and he said, oh, that a hand would come down from heaven and rid me of my besetting sin, said Seneca.

I need some help. Jesus is able to do that. And he can do it because of who he is. First of all, it says in verse 29, behold the lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world. And again, of course, you'll notice that it was repeated, behold the lamb of God. In the Old Testament, many lambs were slain. And there were lambs slain for Israel, but there was never a lamb that was slain for the whole world. You see, there were lambs that were slain that covered sin.

There was no lamb that was ever slain that could actually take sin away. And the Bible indicates that our greatest problem is sin because we are cut off from God. We are separated from the Almighty. There is moral distance between us and God and we need someone to wipe the slate clean. We need someone who can take God and man and reconcile us because there is a huge gap, a stain of sin between us. And only Christ is qualified to do that.

But he can come and he can wash us clean and he can speak us clean so that we can belong to God forever and become one of his family members. Remember Pierre Burton in Canada asking Billy Graham that trick question. He said, Billy, are you saying that if Hitler received Christ as his savior before he died, he would go to heaven, whereas a good, sane, decent person who doesn't accept Christ is going to go to hell?

It was designed to make the gospel appear ridiculous. What could appear to be more foolish than to say that a good, sane, decent person who doesn't accept Christ is lost forever when a wicked tyrant can be saved just because he believes in Jesus Christ as his savior? But the answer to that question is yes and the reason that it is yes is God says, I think so much of the Lamb of God who came to take away the sins of the world.

I think so much of Jesus Christ's sacrifice on the cross that I can even forgive a Hitler who believes in him, but I cannot forgive a good, sane, decent person who doesn't believe in him. Behold the Lamb of God which takes away the sins of the world. Some of you have come here today burdened by sin.

There is an answer, the Lamb of God that takes it away, even awful sin. Because Dori Vanstone has been with us during the last few days, I've been thinking about abuse and child abuse and sexual abuse and we talk so much about those who are the victims, those who go through life emotionally crippled because of their past. But we need to remember, and she brought this up in one of our discussions, that there are many people who are also the offenders. They are the ones who have victimized others.

There are those who are listening to this message who have abused children. And I can say to you on the authority of God's word that God can forgive that sin too. Now having said that, I hope that in addition to receiving his cleansing and his forgiveness, you get some help from those who are able to guide you through the process of deliverance.

But let me tell you that there is no sin that you can commit that cannot be cleansed by this Lamb. And so because of who Christ is. Then secondly, Jesus Christ has that ability because of what he is able to do in our lives. Notice it says in John 1.12, a very familiar passage of scripture. But as many as received him, to them he gave the right to become children of God.

Seneca, here is your hand that has come down from heaven to deliver you from your besetting sin, even to those who believe on his name. There's a transformation, there's a power that can be brought about through responding to Christ and receiving him. You see Jesus wants to rename every one of us just as he renamed Peter. And the way in which he does it is to get us to admit who we are so that he can change us into who he would like to see us become. I mentioned a moment ago the story of Jacob. One of the reasons that the angel wrestled with Jacob is that Jacob was finding it so hard to say who he was.

Because the word Jacob means cheater and that's difficult to admit. You see as we are willing to admit who we are, as we are willing to admit our sins and open our life to Christ, it is then that piece by piece he can take all of that ugliness and replace it with himself and he can give us hope in the transformation process. I know I may be speaking to some who say well Jesus just doesn't work.

I've tried him, I've even called upon his name. But let me tell you something, Jesus Christ receives and he cleanses those first of all who come to him and that is a crisis. Getting saved is a crisis. The new birth is a crisis.

Just like the natural birth happens in a moment of time so the new birth happens in a moment of time. But after the crisis comes a process and the process as we shall see in the life of Peter involved many years and many different circumstances and situations where Peter was constantly being exposed to who he was so that he would recognize and admit to those areas in which he needed divine help poured into his soul. You know why God sometimes doesn't seem to change us? I've thought about this a lot because I've known people who have cried to God and said oh God help me, only to go out and commit the same sin or even the same crime again. Usually it is because there are pockets of resistance in our life that we have been unwilling to face and because of that dishonesty we repeat the same sin over and over again. You see for Christ to change a person and he does change people, for Christ to change a person he is saying that what we need to do is to open our life to him in all honesty and admit who we are so that then he can make us who we should really be. But that honesty is lacking and so we go on continuing to impugn the power of God and say it's his fault.

What is your name? Last week after the service remember I spoke on how to find a stream in the desert and a visitor came to me and said you know I have a good job we have a considerable amount of money but he said even so my wife is just absolutely overtaken by anxiety. And I asked whether she was a believer and he said yes and I said you know what you need to do you need to tell your wife you need to repent of that anxiety and treat it just like you would any other sin.

Isn't it interesting by the way it doesn't matter how much money you have it doesn't matter how secure your position anxiety is something that comes to people indiscriminately and sometimes is not tied even to difficult circumstances. You see it's not enough to simply say oh God help me in my anxiety it is when we come and we say God my anxiety means I am not trusting you this is sin my name is anxiety. Then Jesus can say I'm going to rename you and call you peace. Or there may be somebody else to whom I'm speaking who says my name is addiction my name is addiction.

And Jesus said the minute you begin to get very honest and give all the pieces of your life and all of the things that have caused those addictions to me and you finally come clean in honesty before me and before my representatives it is then you see that Jesus can say I'm going to rename you and your name is going to be freedom, freedom. Somebody else to whom I'm speaking today says my name is rejection all that I ever received from my parents and society is rejection and hurt and pain I don't feel as if I belong. Jesus is saying you come to me and you let me change you and you deal with all of the bitterness that may reinforce that rejection and I will give you a new name and it will be acceptance and you will be beloved. Perhaps I'm speaking to somebody else who says my name is bitter.

Is your name bitter today? You're angry at God, you're angry at circumstances, you're angry at people who have done you in and you are going to retain that in your soul. Why don't you admit it to Christ today? Why don't you say Jesus I'm bitter and I can do nothing about it.

I thought about the same thoughts over and over again and the same bitterness has continued to erupt in my spirit. Jesus there is nothing that I can do this is my name and Jesus said I'm going to change your name and I'm going to call you beloved and I'm going to call you free. Somebody else to whom I'm speaking perhaps says my name is fear. You know exactly what you're supposed to be doing but you are scared because you are being intimidated by others and intimidated by your circumstances and intimidated even by those near you to do the wrong thing.

Why don't you tell Christ? Say Jesus my name is fear. Christ can change you and he can say I'm going to give you a new name and the new name is courage.

You can do it. Last but not least there may be somebody who says my name is guilt. I am awash with guilt.

I remember years ago right here in this church just off to my left on the other side where the organ is today meeting a man who said I am so polluted from the top of my head to the soles of my feet I don't know what to do. In fact he said to me quoting the words of Cain my punishment is greater than I can bear and I was able to share with him just like I can share with you today your name may be pollution but Jesus said I will change your name to claim to claim. Christ can do it. Christ can do it.

His arm is not shortened that he cannot respond. His ear is not deaf that he cannot hear but what he is waiting for us to do is say admit to me who you are so that I can transform you into who you should be and all of us have defenses and denial mechanisms that are very carefully laid over a period of years until it becomes impossible for us to see ourselves in the light of his holiness and in the light of his presence. Jesus can change you. He knows who you are. He's got you cased. He knows what you can become.

He wants to give you a new name. Revelation 2 17 it says if you are faithful the Lord says I will give you a name a new name that will only be known to the person to whom I give it. There are some of you in the private struggles of your soul right now nobody knows the depth of your need. Nobody knows what you've been through. Nobody knows the hurt and the pain and the agony and the battle of the soul. Nobody knows and the reason they don't is because you feel that if you told they couldn't believe it and identify with it. Jesus said tell me who you are. What is your name?

You are but you shall be. Let me say a word to those of you who think that you've met Christ and have never been born again. The name John Wesley is a very famous name in church history a great revivalist in England had a terrible marriage to a woman by the name of Molly should never have married her. She gave him more grief than all the problems in the world put together.

I can't tell you the stories to how he ended up marrying her but he did. In fact when she died he never even attended the funeral because he did not know that she had died she had gone off to live somewhere else and I think that Wesley interpreted that as a sign of God's blessing unfortunately. But remember when he came here he was preaching to the Indians in Georgia and he was not having results at all. See he wanted to see the Indians changed and nobody was being changed and then on the way back to England on that boat when they came across that big storm and the Moravians were singing songs and you remember Wesley said to them are you not afraid to die and they said thank God the answer is no.

And he began to see that they had something he didn't have and he went back to England disillusioned seeking peace and transformation. Walked into a church where Luther's preface to the book of Romans was being read and while it was being read he believed and said his heart was strangely warmed and Wesley the man who was preaching to people that they ought to be converted was finally himself converted. Did you know that it is possible for some of you listening to this message even now where you are sitting in the balcony or either of these sections down the lower area to say Jesus you know who I am and I admit who I am and in this moment I believe. I trust you fully as my own I receive you into my life and heart that's for those of you who have never received Christ for those of you who have why don't you just admit who you now are today and say Jesus at all costs change me you are but you shall be spoken by somebody who can make the difference. Let's pray. Why don't you just pray first of all wherever you may be in this auditorium today or listening on the radio why don't you just open your heart to Christ say Lord Jesus I'm a sinner who cannot save myself just as Andrew brought Peter to Christ so this moment I'm being confronted by him I admit my need and I believe on him as my Savior.

Would you tell him that? And now for those of you who know Christ as Savior why don't you tell him where you're at today is your name anxiety? What is your name? Is your name fear? Is your name anger?

Tell Christ your name ask him to give you a new one. Father we need an outpouring of your blessing because we need lives that are lived miraculously by your power. We desperately need believers who have experienced the transformation of Christ that cannot be explained through behaviorism or education or human resolution.

Therefore we open our lives to you at this moment and say Jesus knowing us come change us grant us the grace to be honest in Christ's name Amen. And you know my friend when you and I are converted it's not just that our heart is changed but God grants to us the strength that we need to live for him but throughout history there have been many examples of where the Christian Church has buckled. In my book Hitler's Cross I trace the existence of the Confessing Church. That is to say the Confessing Church stood against Adolf Hitler and against his agenda Bonhoeffer was a part of that. They had many different synods that met together but finally here was the issue. An edict was given that all pastors had to swear allegiance to Adolf Hitler.

The question is what to do. Many of the pastors looked at Romans chapter 13 where God says that all the powers that there are are ordained of God to resist the power is to resist God and they took that as an absolute. So some decided that they would swear personal allegiance some decided that they wouldn't and there was no resolution on one way or the other and eventually the church collapsed. That's why it's so important that we learn the lessons of history and in my book Hitler's Cross this is what I discuss. Now it's our resource for the month for a gift of any amount it can be yours.

Here's what you do go to rtwoffer.com or call us right now at 1-888-218-9337. It's time again for another opportunity for you to ask Pastor Lutzer a question you may have about the Bible or the Christian life. Dr. Lutzer today's question comes from Calvin who lives in Michigan. He writes, I have heard you speak on the dangers of false prophets. I may be incorrect but it seems you are equating preachers to prophets. It sounded like you were saying that if the preacher did not speak biblical truth then he was a false prophet. Are you equating preachers with prophets and if preachers are preaching and teaching ideas as doctrine which are not biblically supported then would they be considered a false prophet? Yes Calvin I believe that preachers can also be spoken of as false prophets. Now the reason why you have an emphasis on false prophets in the Bible is because it is the prophets who claim to speak directly in behalf of God. So you know they say that the word of the Lord came to me and said this and that just like many do on TV and many of these are false prophets as we well know. But if a preacher is preaching false doctrine he can also be thought of in the same category as being a false prophet. If I were to teach something that would be unbiblical something that would be different than the historic Christian teaching regarding salvation for example I could be considered also a false prophet or at least I could be false in my teaching.

So I'm not sure exactly why you asked the question you did but the answer is yes we need to make sure that we judge the work and the ministry of preachers as well as so-called prophets. Thank you Dr. Lutzer. If you'd like to hear your question answered go to our website at rtwoffer.com and click on Ask Pastor Lutzer or call us at 1-888-218-9337.

That's 1-888-218-9337. You can write to us at Running to Win 1635 North LaSalle Boulevard Chicago Illinois 60614. Running to Win is all about helping you understand God's roadmap for your race of life. Next time on Running to Win we'll see Peter swallow his pride and get some fishing lessons from Jesus. In the process he'll learn the value of obedience to his new master as he continues to follow the right leader. Thanks for listening. For Dr. Erwin Lutzer this is Dave McAllister. Running to Win is sponsored by the Moody Church.