Recap:

You ever notice how names stick to us? Some names are funny, like the one I got in high school. They called me Squeaky. I’d run cross-country, finish my race, then run back to cheer everyone else on. I had so much energy that when I yelled, my voice cracked. And that became my name, Squeaky.

But names have power. Proverbs 18:21 says, “Death and life are in the power of the tongue.”
 Words shape our identity.

Some names are playful. Others are painful. Some were spoken in love, others in anger. But every name you’ve ever carried has tried to define you. The question today is this: Who gets to name you? Your past? Your failure? Your shame? Or the God who made you?

The Power of a Name

From the beginning, sin has been renaming humanity.
Sin doesn’t just separate us from God, it labels us.
You fail, and it calls you failure. You make a mistake, and it calls you hypocrite. You struggle, and it calls you addict.

Romans 3:23 reminds us: “All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.”
 And Jesus Himself said, “The thief comes only to steal, kill, and destroy.” (John 10:10)

That’s the enemy’s plan, to steal your identity, to rename you by what you’ve done. But Jesus names you by what He’s done.

Jesus Gives New Names

Throughout Scripture, Jesus renamed people to show who they could become in Him.
He looked at Simon and said, “You’re not Simon anymore, you’re Peter.” You’re not just a small stone, you’re a rock.

He looked at James and John and called them “Sons of Thunder.” He saw in them boldness and power they couldn’t see in themselves.

And John, the same John who once ran away in fear, gave himself a new name: “The one whom Jesus loved.”
 What confidence! Not arrogance, but identity. John understood something we all need to know: you can be the one Jesus loves too.

The Old Has Gone, The New Has Come

Paul says in 2 Corinthians 5:17,
“If anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has gone, the new has come.”

Jesus takes your old labels, broken, lost, anxious, not enough, and replaces them with His truth:
Chosen. Loved. Forgiven. Whole.

Revelation 2:17 says, “To the one who is victorious, I will give a new name.”
 And 1 Peter 2 reminds us, “You are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s special possession.”

That’s who you are. That’s your real name.

Knowing Your Name, and Knowing His

It’s one thing to receive a new name. It’s another thing to live it.
Some of us know about God but don’t really know Him. We talk about Him, we sing about Him, but we don’t talk to Him.

But Christianity isn’t about rules, it’s about relationship.
Jesus said in John 17:3, “This is eternal life: that they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent.”

When you know Him, He begins to rename you from the inside out.
You’re no longer fearful, you’re courageous.
 No longer lonely, you’re loved.
 No longer lost, you’re found.

He says, “I’ll give you a new heart and a new spirit.” (Ezekiel 36:26)
And when that happens, you start to live differently. You begin to speak life over others. You begin to walk in purpose. You begin to call out names of hope and truth in people who’ve forgotten who they are.

A Call to a New Name

Maybe today you’re carrying a label that’s been weighing you down.
Maybe you’ve been answering to names that God never gave you.
Jesus is here to give you a new name, but it starts with surrender.

It starts by saying, “God, I can’t do this on my own. I need You to rename me.”

If that’s you, lift your heart, lift your hand, and let Him write His name over your life today.
He’s ready to take what’s broken and make it whole.
He’s ready to replace shame with grace.
 He’s ready to call you child of God.

Because the world names you by what you’ve done,
but Jesus names you by what He’s done.

 

Group Questions:

Icebreakers

  1. What’s the funniest or most random nickname you’ve ever had?
  2. If you could give yourself a new name that represents who you want to be, what would it be?
  3. When you think of names in the Bible, which one stands out most to you, and why?

Discussion Questions

  1. The Power of Words and Names
  • Read Proverbs 18:21. How have words (either positive or negative) shaped your sense of identity throughout your life?
  • Can you think of a time someone spoke something over you that stuck, for better or for worse?
  • What are some “names” or labels you’ve been carrying that might not be from God?
  1. The Enemy Renames, Jesus Redeems
  • In John 10:10, Jesus says the thief comes to steal, kill, and destroy. How does the enemy try to “steal your name” or identity in your day-to-day life?
  • Why do you think it’s easier for us to believe lies about who we are than to believe God’s truth?
  • Read Romans 3:23. How does acknowledging our sin actually help us find freedom in our identity?
  1. Jesus Gives New Names
  • Jesus renamed Simon, James, and John, not to erase who they were, but to call out who they were becoming.
    • Why do you think Jesus changes people’s names throughout Scripture?
    • What might God be calling you now that’s different from the name you’ve believed about yourself?
  • Read 2 Corinthians 5:17. What does being a “new creation” practically look like for you right now?
  1. Living from Your New Name
  • We often know about God, but don’t always know Him. How does a deeper relationship with Jesus reshape the way we see ourselves?
  • Which of the new names from Scripture resonates with you most today, chosen, loved, forgiven, whole, royal, child of God, and why?
  • Read Ezekiel 36:26. What would it look like for you to allow God to “give you a new heart and a new spirit” this week?

Application & Prayer

  • What “old name” do you want to surrender to God today?
  • Invite group members to pray over one another, declaring new names and identities found in Christ, such as beloved, strong, faithful, courageous, etc.

Close with a prayer of surrender:

“God, rename me. Remove every label that’s not from You and remind me who I am in Christ.”