Your Name and Renown
AI Transcript
Well, Merry Christmas. Good to see you guys. It's finally winter, so that's awesome. Why don't you open your Bibles to Isaiah? Isaiah 26. Yes, I get to stand. I get to preach a standalone New Year's sermon this morning. We are in the book of Revelation as a church. We took a little break for Advent and we will jump into Revelation 19 next week.
But for today, make your way to Isaiah 26. Isaiah 26 is where we'll be here in a minute. Unless you live under a rock, you probably have heard some grumblings of revival. On February 8th, 2023, what began as a routine Wednesday morning chapel service at Bible college turned into something much
larger in Wilmore, Kentucky. At Asbury University, students did not leave chapel. Instead, worship and prayer for the next 16 days. 384 hours to be exact. This was largely student-led, fueled by the so-called lost generation, Gen Z.
Thanks to Tik Tok and this thing going viral, they estimate anywhere between 50 to 70,000 students participated representing 200 academic institutions and multiple countries. And even as I bring up Asbury, some of y'all are like, I don't know Rick, Tik Tok and isn't Asbury Methodist. What really was going on out there? I get it.
skepticism is my flinch to revival as well. And ultimately time will tell but we do know there were all sorts of reports of repentance, of professions of faith, young people committing their lives to mission and ministry. But what's fascinating to me is this, Asbury might not have been a one-off event.
Because here we are again, three years later, and we're still hearing similar grumblings. Revival. Revival. From college campuses to high school gyms, and yes, even social media spaces, thing seems to be true. Gen Z is hungry for spiritual things. And this momentum only seems to be getting stronger. Young people are buying Bibles.
and reading them, watching Christian apologists on YouTube, even showing up to church. Young people are seeking an encounter with the transcendent. This lost generation might rather be called what some are calling the revival generation. Yes, something seems to be happening in our country's young
people right now. And what's wild is this, also doesn't seem to be limited to just Gen Z. Revival seems to be in the air. For instance, the Gen X, Joe Rogan, who has one of the most popular podcasts out, is finding himself, for the first time, interested in Christianity. Even showing up to church. Even millennials, yes.
Like, like, Conor McGregor. Yes, Conor McGregor. It was reported a couple months back that he, this UFC fighter, made a profession of faith. And word on the street is machine gun Kelly is rapping about Jesus. I know now even more of y'all are skeptical. Machine gun who? But, but, if you study revival in church history, it tends to move in some mysterious ways. Think Jesus movement.
California in the 60s while the Holy Spirit was at work in the lives of these young hippies on the beaches of Southern California through the Calvary Chapel movement. were folks sitting in the pews, Christians in many churches shaking their heads, skeptical of the whole thing. But friends, if God is moving, if we might find ourselves in
a moment of church history where revival is taking place. Are you content just watching it on YouTube, X, Facebook, Instagram, or wherever you find yourself scrolling? Or do you want to see it first hand? My hope is that we would want to see it first hand. That we simply wouldn't be content sitting on the sidelines.
as God is moving, but that we like the prophet Isaiah 2700 years ago would say, send me, I'll go, send us, we'll go. Now I realize that we all have desires for our lives this upcoming year. I'm all about the new year's resolution, but my goal this morning is as we set
our eyes on the future. 2026, just a few short days away. is that as a church, we could collectively recalibrate our desires. That the desire of our hearts, Redemption Parker, would be for God's name and God's renown. If you're not already there, turn with me to Isaiah 26.
I'll pick it up right there in verse one.
In that day, this song will be sung in the land of Judah. We'll stop here for a second. actually really want to just focus on one verse, verse eight, but I got to set up a little context here. This section in Isaiah, Isaiah 24 to 27 is often called Isaiah's little apocalypse, Revelation Isaiah style. And in this section that the prophet Isaiah is looking beyond the immediate.
Assyrian and Babylonian threats. And instead, he's casting a vision for what is to come. In chapter 24, it's worldwide judgment. Chapter 25, a feast for all peoples and the swallowing up of death. Here in chapter 26, a redeemed faithful singing unto the Lord. This is a picture of the restoration of
Israel, Jew, and Gentile through the Messiah filled with the Spirit. This is a prophetic vision of the new covenant people of God here in Isaiah, us included. Then in chapter 27 of Isaiah's little apocalypse, we get God's victory over cosmic evil. Don't have time to go there, but again, Revelation 19 next week, we'll go there. But I want to spend our time looking at
One verse, one verse in chapter 26. One verse right in the middle of this song, this song of the redeemed as we head into 2026. So look with me at verse eight, verse eight.
Yes, Lord, walking in the way of your laws, we wait for you. Your name and renown are the desire of our hearts. Your name and renown are the desire of our hearts. Unlike the Israel of old, the Israel who this prophet
is speaking to in this chapter, the Israel who instead of choosing God and following his good law, rather gave themselves to the desires of their own wicked hearts, namely their own name and renown, not God's. This Israel will soon be exiled, the northern tribes to Assyria to be assimilated.
In the words of Hosea, my people will become not my people. And the southern tribes will soon be exiled to Babylon, though they will come back. And yet Israel will never quite be the same until the day when the gospel arrives. The good news that Jesus, Yeshua, Israel's Messiah, the good news that he is the saving king.
through His righteous life, His sacrificial death for sin, His burial, His descent, His resurrection, His ascension. He now reigns as the saving King. And as King Jesus reigns, He sends His Spirit, His Holy Spirit, to the redeemed. Jew and Gentile, the new covenant people of God.
So now empowered by the Spirit and given new hearts, the song of the redeemed sounds like this, RP. Your name, your renown are the desire of our hearts. As you head into 2026, is this the desire of your heart? I mean, when Jesus disciples ask him, Lord,
Teach us to pray that the first request Jesus gives in the Lord's prayer, hallowed be your name. Another way of saying your name and your renown are the desire of our hearts. Like more than anything, God, your name, your renown. What does this even mean? First, God's name. This is God's revealed...
character, his, his identity, his reputation, his presence, desiring God's name friends is desiring God himself. The reality of who God is to be seen and saver, to be treasured, to be satisfied in God, a desire for God's name. This is
Christian hedonism 101. God is most glorified in us when we are most satisfied in him. how's that for a new year's resolution? That we would be like the psalmist who says, whom have I in heaven but you? And there is nothing on earth that I desire besides you. Many of us know
deep down this is what we need in twenty twenty six. We've tried a lot of the other alternatives. We agree with St. Augustine our hearts are restless until they find rest in you. God. But the question is will will what we know in our minds drop down to our hearts. In other words will this be our desire. His name.
Or will we be content with lesser joys this year? What if together as a church and individually we pursued the name of God, His name. This is what we were created for. Joy in God, inexpressible and full of glory. And that second word, renown, this is speaking of God's fame.
So the fame of that name, God being treasured now in the lives of our neighbors and the nations, will we be a church that enjoys Jesus but keeps him to ourselves? Or because of our enjoyment of Jesus, we can't help to share this joy with any and everyone. The joy of Jesus.
Seen and savored to the ends of the earth. My prayer would be that we as a church would run counter cultural to this expressive individualism air we breathe. That we would be an other focused church that has that one more mindset because we can't keep this to ourselves.
And that we would look beyond what we can see that we would have the future in mind. Not just our kids, but like the scriptural refrain says, to the 10th generation, your name, your renown are the desire of our hearts. One of my favorite prayers in scripture comes from the minor prophet Habakkuk. He says this.
Lord, I have heard of your fame. I stand in awe of your deeds, Lord. He's looking back on God's past faithfulness. And I love that request. Repeat them in our day, in our time, make them known. Let me ask you again, if God is on the move, advancing his kingdom in our midst, are you
content just watching it on a screen while you pursue your own kingdom or do you want to see it first hand? Is his name and his fame the desire of your heart? One of the Jewish holidays our family has not started celebrating yet is Yom Perem.
I hope to this year I've been in Israel for this festival talk about a party folks celebrating what what God did through Esther years ago to preserve the Jewish people. might remember that that scene in the book of Esther where her uncle is challenging her to go and make a request to the king to save our people. Now this could have cost.
her life but I love what Uncle Mordecai says. for if you remain silent at this time relief and deliverance for the Jews will arise from another place. He's like God's going to save his people honey. But then he says yet who knows but that you have come to your royal position for such a time as this. I love that. For such.
a time as this. God's kingdom is going to advance friends. Whether you're on the field or on the sidelines. But why in the world would we want to miss out on what God might be doing? We have an opportunity, Redemption Parker, to define our place within his grand drama of redemption.
For such a time as this, why would we settle for anything else? You ever watch a game that you already know the outcome? A few weeks back, Holly was out for the night and I wanted to watch something and no, it wasn't Oklahoma versus Alabama. I'm trying to forget that one. But the replay I put on was game seven of this past world.
series. Sorry, Joe. What an experience. Even the second time around. Now, I already knew what was going to happen. One of the greatest games ever. Somehow the Dodgers pulled it off. Now, the first time I watched it, I almost had a heart attack. Almost woke up our kids like three times. Not this time. Bottom of the ninth.
Dodgers down one run Blue Jays unhittable closer on the mound four strikes away from a Blue Jays World Series I sat there calm as can be smiling with anticipation Friends We're in the book of Revelation. We know how this story is going to end Jesus wins
And he, the conqueror, wants us to be a part of his victory. He calls us overcomers with him to advance his kingdom, to see lives transformed, including ours, by the power of the gospel. Will we watch it on a screen or will we be a part of it firsthand? Well, as we enter
2026, what is your heart's desire? that we would be a people whose desire would be for his name and his renown. Amen. Amen. Well, we still have quite a bit of time. I thought as we, as we head into, 2026, it might be wise for us to spend.
A little time here in prayer. Often when revival strikes, prayer has not been slacking. God's people throughout church history pray. And then they watch God move. So just a new year reminder as well. We do have our RP prayer meetings led by Caleb Johns. can consider this an invitation.
But after Jesus' disciples had spent a good amount of time with Jesus, watching His every move, and beginning to see what is taking place in His ministry, the disciples have a request. Lord, teach us to pray. Now they could have said, Lord, teach us to heal. Teach us to preach.
Lord teach us to turn water into wine. That would be a profitable business. No, they say Lord teach us to pray. Jesus responds with the Lord's prayer. What the global church has been praying for the last 2000 years. Pray like this, he says. I know some of you guys want to step up your prayer game in 2026. Learn how to pray this prayer. Not just recite it.
but pray it. This morning that's what we're going to do. We're going to pray the Lord's Prayer. mean everything is here. Our Father, our together we come to Him because of Christ as our Father Abba who is in heaven. We're reminded in this prayer that God reigns above all.
He's sovereign over the details. He's in control and yet He is near when we seek Him. He brought heaven to earth in His Son. Hallowed be thy name. We pray that our New Year's desires come to fruition. That God's name and renown would be experienced in our lives, in our church.
and to the ends of the earth. Your kingdom come. We pray that God's kingdom would break into our lives, our homes, our cities. We pray for revival, Your will be done. We pray that God's wise and sovereign plans would come to pass. Even when that means our plans don't. Not our will, but yours be done.
on earth as is in heaven. We pray for the beauty, the justice, the shalom of heaven to transform this world. We pray for worship. Mission exists because worship doesn't. So we pray for white hot worship to happen in Parker and to the ends of the earth. Give us this day our daily bread. We pray for God's continued sustenance in our life.
our church, and for the world, forgive us our sins. We're reminded that those who say they have not sinned are not of the truth. when we come to God with our sin, and we confess it to Him and to one another, He cleanses us of all unrighteousness. As we forgive those who have sinned against us, this can be a hard one. We pray for the strength to extend
the mercy we've received from God to others. We forgive as we have been forgiven. Lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. We're reminded that there's an enemy that wants to take you out in 2026. I mean, just imagine if there was a lion chained up right here. You guys wouldn't hear a word I'm saying right now. You'd be focused on this lion.
Bible says that Satan is like a roaring lion seeking someone to devour. He wants to ruin our lives. He wants to destroy our walk with him, destroy our church, blow up our families. So we pray for God's guidance away from what destroys us and protection from the enemy. For yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory.
We know whether we eat, drink, or whatever we do, we do all to the glory of God. All is for God. His kingdom, His name, His renown forever and ever. Amen. Finally, we say, yes, Lord, let this be. This is true. We believe this. We agree and we rest in these words because we trust.
who God is and that God is faithful. Well, let's pray.