Who Told You Your Name? - Shaun Nepstad

Jesus came so lost people could be saved. This church is not a cruise ship where we lay by the pool. This is a battleship and for 23 years we've been on mission for Jesus. For 23 years we've been worshipping Jesus, preaching the gospel of Jesus Christ, reaching lost people, baptizing people, helping people know God and grow in God, discover a purpose and make a difference. We've been on the mission of Jesus. For one reason, to see more changed lives. Welcome to People's Church everyone and welcome to all of you joining us online, around the world, wherever you may be. It is time to praise the Lord so I invite you to stand to your feet. Come on let's celebrate the fact that we are joined together here in the house of the Lord where we can experience freedom, victory. Come on, will you put your hands together let's worship together. Come on. We worship the God who was. We worship the God who is. We worship the God who ever more will be. He opened the prison doors. He parted the raging sea. My God he holds the victory. Come on say it. There's joy in the house of the Lord. There's joy in the house of the Lord today. And we won't be quiet. We shout out your praise. There's joy in the house of the Lord. Our God is surely in this place. And we won't be quiet. We shout out your praise. Oh, oh, oh. Oh, oh, oh. Oh, oh, oh. We sing to the God who heals. We sing to the God who saves. We sing to the God who always makes a way. Because he hung up on that cross. Then he rose up from that grave. My God still rolling stones away. There's joy in the house of the Lord. There's joy in the house of the Lord today. And we won't be quiet. We shout out your praise. There's joy in the house of the Lord. Our God is surely in this place. And we won't be quiet. We shout out your praise. We were the beggars and now we're royalty. We were the prisoners and now we're running free. We are forgiven, accepted, redeemed by his grace. Let the house of the Lord sing praise. Come on, sing. We were the beggars and now we're royalty. We were the prisoners and now we're running free. We are forgiven, accepted, redeemed by his grace. Let the house of the Lord sing praise.

There's joy in the house of the Lord. There's joy in the house of the Lord today. And we won't be quiet. We shout out your praise. There's joy in the house of the Lord. Our God is surely in this place. And we won't be quiet. We shout out your praise. There's joy in the house of the Lord. There's joy in the house of the Lord today. And we won't be quiet. We shout out your praise. There's joy in the house of the Lord. Our God is surely in this place. And we won't be quiet. We shout out your praise. We shout out your praise. I'd like to invite our prayer team to come forward at this time. We are a church that believes in the power of prayer and whether you have a need big or small, it matters to God. So if you'd like prayer today, all you have to do is step out of your seat as we sing this next song. Let's believe God for a miracle in your life today. I never want to leave I'm not here for the lessees Jesus you don't owe me anything More than anything that you can do I just want you And I'm sorry when I've just gone through the motions I'm sorry when I just sang another song Take me back to where we started I open up my heart to you And I'm sorry when I've come with my agenda I'm sorry when I forgot that you're enough Take me back to where we started I open up my heart to you Oh, I'm caught up in your bled and tears I just want to sit here at your feet I'm caught up in this holy moment I never want to leave Oh, I'm not here for the lessees Jesus you don't owe me anything More than anything that you can do I just want you I just want you Nothing else, nothing else, nothing else will do I just want you Nothing else, nothing else, nothing else will do I just want you Nothing else, nothing else, nothing else will do I just want you Nothing else, nothing else, nothing else will do I just want you Nothing else, nothing else, nothing else will do I just want you Nothing else, nothing else, nothing else will do

I just want you Nothing else, nothing else ♪ Nothing else, nothing else will do ♪ ♪ I just want you, nothing else, nothing else ♪ ♪ Nothing else will do, yeah ♪ ♪ Nothing else will do, yeah ♪ ♪ You're taking all, Jesus, you can have all of me now ♪ ♪ I'm caught up in your presence ♪ ♪ I just wanna sit here at your feet ♪ ♪ I'm caught up in this holy moment ♪ ♪ I never wanna leave you, yes I do ♪ ♪ I'm not here for blessing ♪ ♪ Jesus, you don't owe me anything ♪ ♪ I need you more than anything that you can do ♪ ♪ I just want you, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah ♪ ♪ Hallelujah, oh we need you, Jesus, we need you, Lord ♪ ♪ We need you, Lord, we need you, Lord, we need you, Lord ♪ ♪ I'm calling on the God of Jacob ♪ ♪ Whose love endures through generations ♪ ♪ I know that you will keep your covenant ♪ ♪ I'm calling on the God of Moses ♪ ♪ The one who opened up the ocean ♪ ♪ I need you now to do the same thing for me ♪ Come on, if you know you need the Lord, will you just lift your hands all across this space? Let's sing this out together, let's pray. ♪ Oh God, my God, I need you ♪ ♪ Oh God, my God, I need you now ♪ ♪ How I need you now ♪ ♪ Oh rock, oh rock of ages ♪ ♪ I'm standing on your faithfulness ♪

♪ On your faithfulness, oh ♪ ♪ I'm calling on the God of Mary ♪ ♪ Whose favor rests upon the lowly ♪ ♪ I know with you all things are possible ♪ ♪ I'm calling on the God of David ♪ ♪ Who made a shepherd boy courageous ♪ ♪ I may not face good life, but I've got my own chance ♪ ♪ Oh God, my God, I need you ♪ ♪ Oh God, my God, I need you now ♪ ♪ How I need you now ♪ ♪ Oh rock, oh rock of ages ♪ ♪ I'm standing on your faithfulness ♪ ♪ On your faithfulness, oh God, my God, I need you ♪ ♪ Oh God, my God, I need you now ♪ ♪ How I need you now ♪ ♪ Oh rock, oh rock of ages ♪ ♪ I'm standing on your faithfulness ♪ ♪ On your faithfulness, oh you're so faithful God ♪ ♪ Oh you're so faithful God, oh you never change, you remain the same ♪ You heard your children then, you hear your children now You are the same God, you are the same God You answered prayers back then, and you will answer now You are the same God, you are the same God You were providing then, you are providing now You are the same God, you are the same God You moved in power then, God moved in power now You are the same God, you are the same God You were a healer then, you are a healer now You are the same God, you are the same God You were a saviour then, you are a saviour now

You are the same God, you are the same God Oh God, my God, I need you Oh God, my God, I need you now How I need you now Oh rock, oh rock of ages I'm standing on your faithful bed On your faithful bed Oh God, oh God, my God, I need you Oh God, my God, I need you now How I need you now Oh rock, oh rock of ages I'm standing on your faithful bed On your faithful bed Your faithful God, we trust you Lord We trust you in our circumstances, in our challenges Whatever is in front of us, God, our hope is in you Our trust is in you today, God We declare that we need you, God, more than anything else God, you're all that we need We love you, move in our hearts today In Jesus' name, Amen Come on, give them praise today Yeah, Amen Well, church family, before you're seated We love taking time in our service just to connect Get to know each other a little bit more I want you to find a few people around you Learn their names, shake a few hands Let's connect, church All right.

Well, welcome to People's Church, everybody. Hey, my name is Rob Champion. Again, I'm the campus pastor here at the Oklahoma City Campus. Whether you're joining us online or in the house today, we are family. We're so glad to have you with us today. I do want to take a moment just to welcome all of our first-time guests. Come on, People's Church family. Let's welcome them together. Welcome to People's Church. People's Church family, your generosity is making a difference, not only here locally in our city, but across the nation and all around the world. Because of your faithfulness to give, we support and we have the privilege of supporting missionaries and ministry partners who are taking the hope of Jesus Christ all around the world to those who have never heard the gospel. One of those missionaries is the Schultz family, and they're missionaries to Mozambique. And I want you to check out this incredible story. Hey, People's Church, I'm Kayla Schultz, and my husband Jared and I and our four kids are your missionaries to the unreached people groups of Mozambique. Just want to give you a quick behind-the-scenes glance at what God is doing here amongst the Muslim people. Recently, a young man by the name of João, whose father is actually a imam at a local mosque, decided that he wanted to attend our... discovery group. He also sits on the council of nine different mosques. During the group, he said, when I hear the words of this book, it warms my heart and I forget that I have troubles. And after that, he said that he wanted to learn more. He said, there's a warmth and a compassion and a love that comes from you that we want, that I want. And we got to explain that,

that doesn't come from us naturally. The source is Jesus. And so we got to explain to him who Jesus is. And he has decided that he wants to continue seeking out Jesus, learning more. People's church, you have consistently and sacrificially given to us and help keep us on the field. We genuinely love you. Yeah. Praise the Lord church. Thank you so much. Thank you for returning the time for giving to the more campaign and to investing in dream builders. And your generosity is helping to bring the gospel to those who have never heard the message of Jesus Christ. It supports families like the Schultz who are able to help establish churches for those who would have little or no access to a local church. They're helping to establish these churches within walking distance for people so that they can hear and know about Jesus Christ. Church, because you faithfully give and you're faithful in supporting these missionaries, every life that's changed, every church that is planted, every impact that is made, you have a part to play in that. Church, thank you for being faithful. Thank you for giving. Your giving allows us to reach more people than any one of us could do by ourselves. Father, we pray for the Schultz family. We thank you for the ministry that they're doing to establish churches within walking distance so people can hear the message of Jesus Christ, have their lives transformed by the power of God. Lord, we ask that you would move, bless them as they reach out and are your arms and hands and feet to those in Mozambique. In Jesus' name we pray. Amen. You're doing good today. It's good to see you. Success starts on Sundays in God's house. Lifting up the name of Jesus, your week's gonna be better because you're starting it off in God's house and welcome to all of our locations today. We're so glad just to have you with us today. All of our guests at all the locations as well in Midwest City, Northwest, Edmond, Indianapolis, the ladies at Mabel Bassett Correctional Facility, all of you joining us online, welcome to church today. I've asked our Revival Night speaker, Pastor Shawn Nebsted, to finish out our series on Holy Thirst this morning and if you were here years ago, he preached here. He's a phenomenal preacher, can sing, a leader of leaders, a pastor of pastors, a church planter. His church is 23 years old and just a lovely family, a beautiful wife, beautiful children and he's a grandpa. I'm not there yet but one day I'm gonna catch up to Pastor Shawn but he's just a phenomenal leader. I love him. What I love most about Pastor Shawn is not just his gifting incentives, his anointing but he's a family man. This man loves his wife, he loves his children, he loves his grandchildren,

he pours in heavily into his family and he's a kingdom man. Come on, every single location, would you put your hands together and would you welcome Pastor Shawn Nebsted. Come on, you can do better than that. Show some love to my friend right now. Oh, can you clap your hands if you're grateful for grace today? Come on, we can do better than that on a Sunday morning. Anybody grateful for grace? I'm so grateful to be here, honored to be here and I want to let you know we give all glory to God but help me know we have no problem giving. some honor to a man and a woman who laid down their life for this church 24 years ago. A lot of people have come to this church and every location. You might have joined the church the last five years, one year, ten year, but you have no idea what a couple did to sacrifice to start this church 24 years ago. How many love your pastors? Come on, can you show your love to your pastors? I don't just say this to be kind. I'm saying they are some of the most genuine, kind, anointed, caring pastors in the nation and you are very, very blessed. Don't take it lightly what you have. Can I hear a good amen? And I think that this is the greatest time for you to pray like you've never prayed before, to serve like you've never served before, to give like you've never given before, because I feel like you're on the brink of something very special as a church, very unique, and if you lean in this week, I believe God's going to show up. Amen, somebody? Well, I do have a picture of my tribe. This is the Nebstad and Bell clan and we decided to get dressed up and go to dinner one night. This is actually the latest picture with all of us in it. So my daughter got married, Victoria, and those are my two son-in-laws and those cute little grandbabies. Aren't those babies cute? So for the next hour and a half, I'm just going to show you a slideshow of the grandkids. Is that okay? No, we had four girls in the house, four girls, listen to me, four girls under the age of two when they were first born. Yeah, we had a two-year-old, a one-year-old, and twins were zero. We're really good planners. You've seen a double stroller? We had a triple stroller and one on a leash. A lot of estrogen in the house, Pastor. I mean, sometimes I walk in the room and just start crying for no reason at all. Just don't try to fix me right now, just listen.

So we got a male dog and I prayed for boys every time, every pregnancy, but my wife was praying behind my back for girls. Now, if you want your prayers answered, you know who to go to, that girl knows Jesus. But I am from the San Francisco Bay Area, otherwise known as the Bible Belt, and God is doing some phenomenal things there. We're very, very grateful for what God is doing. How many are ready for the Word? Turn and tell somebody, I'm so glad I get to sit by you. Turn and tell your second choice, I'd be the best-looking person in the room if it wasn't for you. I want to give you an overview of a man in the Bible, his name is Daniel. And today, I'm not going to exhaust his life, I would like to give you a brief overview to hopefully create a holy curiosity for you to go back and want to read the Bible more yourself. When you think of the word or name Daniel, most people think of the lion's den, Daniel in the lion's den. But can I tell you, Daniel's not just a book about lions, it's actually a book about loyalty in a culture to stand up for God when a culture is not. Matter of fact, the lions, that was one night, it was more about surviving Babylon than a lion's den. Babylon was a culture that was anti-God, pushed God out of society. And there's a brother that stood up for God in the middle of all of that. And what many people miss about Daniel's life is he was actually taken from his hometown around 15 to 17 years old, and he would go in exile, he would never return. He'd spend the rest of his life in a foreign land. The day we pick up our story in Daniel 1 3-6, then the king ordered to bring into the king's service some of the Israelites from the royal family and nobility, young men without any physical defect, handsome, showing aptitude for every kind of learning, well-informed, quick to understand, and qualified to serve in the king's palace. Teach them the language and literature of the Babylonians. So we're going to teach them everything about the Babylonian way, again, which was anti-God. The king assigned to them a daily amount of food and wine from the king's table. They were to be trained for three years, and after they were to enter the king's service. He would never go home again. Seventy years he would spend in exile, serving under these pagan kings. And yet the Bible in Ezekiel 14,

verse 14, calls him one of the most righteous men. If you're a note-taker, write this down. If you're not a note-taker, write this down. Your greatest ministry may happen in a place you never wanted to be. Ooh, can I preach this the way I wanna preach it today? I said, your greatest ministry just might happen in a place you never wanted to be, in a school you never wanted to be, in a job you never wanted to be, in a city you never wanted to be. God can still use you. Number two, write this down. There's a difference between having a resolve to follow God and just merely dabbling in faith. There is a large difference. As a matter of fact, dabbling describes someone who likes the idea of God, and they occasionally participate, but they've never truly, fully surrendered everything to God. Daniel chapter one, verse eight, is a life verse for Daniel. We come to Daniel chapter one, and the Bible says, but Daniel resolved. Every location, shout out the word, resolved. Daniel resolved not to defile himself with royal food and wine, and he asked the chief official for permission not to defile himself in this way. So for 21 days, he fasted. We call this a Daniel fast.

That brother ate fruit and vegetables, and at the end, the Bible describes that he was in better shape and better condition than everybody else. How many know you need the anointing of God more than you need a cheeseburger? And there are seasons where we push back the plate and dedicate ourself to prayer and fasting like you're doing as a church, because how many know we need the Lord? And the miracle in this story was really the decision before the lions. And if you think about it, Daniel didn't wait till chapter six, where the lions then was, to become courageous. He became courageous over dinner. You think about this. This guy said no to the king's food. Why? We don't exactly know why he said no. It would have been the best food. But it probably was because it was most likely sacrificed to idols, probably violated the Mosaic dietary laws, and would signify dependence on Babylon instead of God. Whatever the reason was, we understand that Daniel knew something that maybe the others didn't, and that was if I can't say no to dinner, I can't say no to a king who tries to get me

to disobey God. He pushed back the plate. And we admire Daniel because of Daniel chapter six in the lions then. Can I tell you, it was Daniel one that God developed him. It was that chapter in his life. We love chapter six, but way back in chapter one, that's where he got the process going. And some of you today hate the chapter that you're currently in. You don't like the season you're in, and you want the miracle chapter. Can I suggest to you, you're gonna have your miracle chapter, but God's developing you in the chapter you're in right now. It's called process. And may I also suggest, sometimes you get to decide how long this chapter is based on if you develop and learn the lessons God's trying to teach you. Because if you don't learn these lessons, how many know God's just like the public school system? If you don't learn what you're supposed to learn in your current season, he'll let you repeat the class all over again. Can I tell you this? Be faithful in seasons you hate, and you'll be rewarded in seasons you love. Woo. It's like going to the gym.

You know those gym bros. They have muscles in places they shouldn't even have muscle. And then there's the guy who goes to the gym for the very first day. First day he goes to the gym, you can tell he's not normal. He doesn't normally come here. He goes to the gym first day, does a couple sets, and then immediately is looking in the mirror and flexing. It's like he's wanting something to pop. I'm like, bro, what are you looking for? It's your first day. You did more sets on Instagram than you did the weights. Come on, what are we talking about? But we know there's not gonna be results the first day. We all know that development and strength comes from consistency and repetition. Can I hear a good amen? In the same way, your faith is developed, not in just one day. It's developed over time. It is the process of giving yourself to God repeatedly over and over and over again. And can I also suggest to you, there's no substitute for reps. And so get your reps in in this season. Something else we learned from Daniel is be very careful living in a pagan culture. Jesus would echo the same thing in John chapter 17. He would let us know that you are in the world,

but you are not of the world. Here's the goal. The goal is, can you live in Babylon without Babylon living in you? Without becoming Babylon, without becoming the culture? Because Daniel worked in a secular culture. He interpreted dreams. He led governments. He worked under four kings. He worked under. Nebuchadnezzar, Belshazzar, Darius, and Cyrus, four empires, four kings, one testimony. Four kings, four empires, governments changed. How many know Daniel never changed? Daniel was dedicated to God. Let me say it this way. When your character stays steady, your influence can survive changing secular government. It doesn't matter who is your boss, doesn't matter who's the principal, doesn't matter who's the president. When your character remains the same, God can still use you in any circumstance and in any season, amen? Somebody, come on, clap your hands if you're with me so far. But look at his resume. I mean, imagine updating your resume like Daniel. His first employer destroyed his homeland. Second employer killed all his friends.

Third employer threw him into the lion's den. Can we all agree that's not exactly LinkedIn material? And yet he stayed faithful to God. One of the ways that he stayed faithful to God, I'm gonna give you his secret weapon. You ready for this? Daniel was a man of prayer. Most people are uncomfortable praying. Matter of fact, if I asked the majority of you, could you just come up on stage and close us out in prayer, we'd have some deaths in the room. Some of you would pass out. Some of you would vomit in your mouth a little bit because you would say, no, no, no, no, no. Pick somebody else. I'm not good at praying. What does that even mean? If you can talk, you can pray. Come on, say that with me. If you can talk, you can pray. Most people are comparing the way they pray to somebody else. And what a trick of the devil to get Christians uncomfortable talking to their God. What a trick of the devil. And I asked the Lord what it was, and a few years ago, he told me what the problem was. You know why most Christians feel uncomfortable praying? Here it is, here it is. Performance anxiety.

You're trying to perform instead of just having a relationship with God. In this next season of 21 Days in Prayer, if you can talk, you can pray. Just pour your heart out to God. Just communicate to the Father. Can I hear an amen? Amen. Because you're in a season called Holy Thirst. Well, let me tell you something. Daniel had a fountain that he drew from continually through prayer, and it's not that God is distant. He's not distant. Some of you are just dehydrated. Move closer in this season of prayer. Learn how to call on the name of the Lord. Because as a matter of fact, the Old Testament describes people who were wicked as those who refuse to call on the name of the Lord. God's people are known for calling on his name. Amen, everybody? Look at this. They made a law in the land that you couldn't pray to anybody but the king, which would have been idolatry. And the moment this OG heard that, Daniel chapter six, verse 10. Daniel learned that the decree had been published on TikTok and Instagram and the papers and everybody was talking about it. He went home, upstairs to the room,

opened the windows towards Jerusalem. Three times a day, he got on his knees and prayed, giving thanks to his God. Watch, watch. These six next words are key. Just as he had done before. Three times a day, he prayed, windows open. Somebody's like, well, my faith is just private. Where did you learn that? Babylon. The culture tried to tell you your faith is private. There's nothing in the Bible that says that your faith should be private. Come on, everybody, you're a city set on a hill. We're not gonna hide the lamp under a bush. We're gonna give God all the credit and all the glory and all the praise in Jesus' name. He prayed three times a day. You know what it's like. We get one notification on our phone and forget what we're praying about. Can I tell you this? He prayed before the crisis. That's why he knew what to do in the crisis. Oh, listen to me. He prayed before trouble showed up. There are some people who only pray after trouble shows up. Once trouble occurs, then they move into prayer, but he already had a habit of talking to God every single day.

In other words, he didn't add prayer to his life when he went through hard times. He had a lifestyle of calling on the name of the Lord. And I don't know who this is for. Somebody came to church today for this next point, and that is this, that when your prayer is your habit, let me tell you, panic loses its power. Oh, if you believe that, clap your hands and say a good amen. When prayer is your habit, panic loses its power. There's something that breaks over your life. And you think about the lions. didn't change Daniel, they just revealed what was already in him. You know what pressure does? Pressure doesn't change you, it reveals what's in you. So if prayer is in you, prayer is gonna come out. If praise is in you, praise will come out. If thanksgiving is in you, thanksgiving is gonna come. But if anxiety is in you, anxiety is gonna come out. Pressure is gonna come out. Doubt is gonna come out. If cussing is in you, whatever's in you is what comes out under pressure. Well, he prayed, he gave God thanks even when things weren't going his way. They took this man, threw him into the lion's den and they expected these lions to tear him to pieces but what they didn't realize was God would put these lions on a Daniel fast and he would use these lions

as a pillow pet and that brother sat there all night in peace in the presence of God. And in the morning, that king came over and realized that Daniel's God was the real and true and living God and God got all the glory and God, can I tell you, some of you are in a lion's den right now. You have a God who can shut the mouths of lions to this day. Maybe the greater miracle wasn't just the fact that God closed the mouth of lions, could it be the greater miracle was God gave peace in the middle of it? You don't get this kind of peace drinking from bitter wells. He had a holy thirst for God, which led him to pray three times a day, giving himself to God and he experienced something that was prophetic because if you go all the way to your New Testament, the Bible says in Philippians 4, 6, be anxious for no thing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, but don't just have a laundry list, praise God, thanksgiving as well. Let your requests be made known unto God and God says, if you do this, I guarantee you there will be a peace that will come over you that you cannot even comprehend. It'll guard your heart, it'll guard your mind in Christ Jesus. Listen to me, some of you are walking through difficult seasons, you need the peace of God and it's to the point where you don't even understand it.

Your friends will come and say, how come you're not drinking anymore? How come you're not trying to go back to pills anymore? And you'll say, I don't even understand it either. All I know is I cried out to the living God and something came over me, a peace rested on me like a blanket and I haven't slept this good in years. Come on somebody, clap your hands and give God praise for his amazing grace and amazing peace. He experienced Philippians before Paul even wrote it. So God rescued him from the lion's den, but watch this, he also rescued him from anxiety's den. How many are grateful you have a God who still does the same? Yeah, listen, we're in a culture similar to Babylon, but you don't have to fit into Babylon to flourish in Babylon. God can use you and listen to me, God wants to use you to influence others, don't be influenced. Listen to me young people, don't get your cues from the world. You're not made to fit in, you're made to stand up for the Lord and culture may change, but you get to determine and decide who you give your allegiance to. You can learn a lot from Daniel's life. He didn't just survive lions, he was faithful in exile for 70 years. 70 years is a long time to be faithful to God.

He spent his entire adult life in exile and yet the exile became a place of extreme influence for him. God's gonna give you some influence in your company and in your city and in this season, but sometimes we spend our lives praying God remove Babylon, but could it be God actually wants to use us in Babylon? Because people need to hear about Jesus Christ. Listen to me, in order to do that, you have to stay hydrated. You need a prayer life. You have to have a holy thirst for God and the things of God. And I felt in prayer yesterday, there's two words that came to mind for some of you. There is a hesitancy and a reluctance to approach God because you have the wrong view of God or wrong view of yourself. There is a holy thirst that comes when you see him rightly, when you see him correctly and then you see yourself correctly based on how you see him. And there are some people. who have a wrong view of God and if you have a wrong view of God, you have a wrong view of you. Can I show you something else? Tucked into the pages of this story is a sub-story. And names are very interesting to me. Names carry meaning. Names give us identity. Names are what you're known for, what you go by, what you're referred to as. And some of you, like me, how many of you by show of hands, come on every location, how many of you growing up wished you had a different name? Anybody?

I always wanted a cool name, like Devante. Instead, I got Sean. And then there's nicknames. A nickname is a name that's not your name. It's a name somebody else gave you. It's what was spoken over you. But the problem with a nickname is that if you're referred to by a nickname long enough, you start to respond to that name even though that name is not your name. Tucked into the story of Daniel's life are three other boys. And if you grew up in church, you are very familiar with Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. If you did not grow up in church, that's okay. Let me give you the cliff notes and catch you up to speed. These three Hebrew boys came into the palace, and the different king, about 30 years later, King Nebuchadnezzar, he made a statue and said, anybody who does not bow down and worship my statue when the band plays, we're going to throw you into the fiery furnace. Like what is going on with these kings? Lion's dens and fiery furnaces is wild. Well, the three Hebrew boys said, we're not bowing down to anybody, but God, I don't care what you do. And they were brought to the king, which by the way, can I say, I believe God's raising up a generation who will say, we're not bowing down to anybody or anything else, but the true and living God. So they're there, standing there, and they're forced with the decision, are you going to bow and live or stand for God and die? Go to the fiery furnace. And I believe, possibly, that the reason they had the strength that they had to stand was because they had a small group. Three of them. You going to bow, bro? No, I ain't bowing. You bowing? Heck no. You better not bow. We're standing together, locking arms. Can I suggest to you, Sundays are great, but you need a small group too. What's a small group? It's a group that's small. These are large groups, but you need a small group. And small groups are getting ready to launch here in the fall, every location. Some of you need to lead a small group, and you're like, man, I don't have my life perfect. Your life doesn't have to be perfect, but you need to get around some people and say, let's grow together. I need you just like you need me. You're going to gain some strength and relationship. And they stood together, and King did throw them into the fiery furnace. He threw them into the fiery furnace. And the Bible gives us one detail. He heated up the fiery furnace seven times hotter than normal. Okay, can we just agree? The regular temperature would have killed them.

There's no reason to do seven times more. That's ridiculous. He did it in spite. It was so hot that the soldiers who threw them in died. They threw them in, they died. And a couple minutes in, the Bible says King Nebuchadnezzar started looking a little closer, started to wipe his face. And he realized, I threw in three, but I see a fourth man. And the fourth looks like the son of God. This is the pre-incarnate Christ standing with these boys in the fire. May I suggest to you, People's Church, Jesus Christ is still standing with people in fires. He's with you no matter what you go through in life. He's there. The King drew them out. The ropes that were on them burned off, but they were okay. They're elevated to a new position of influence. And the Bible says, they didn't even smell like smoke. Let me just preach to one person who needs this. You're going through a fire right now, but with God, it's not going to take you out. It's not going to kill you. And you're coming out of that fire and you're not even going to smell like smoke. God has you. But here's my point. Growing up in church, as many of us have done, we have for years heard sermons preached about Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. We've read stories about Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. We've been taught in Sunday school with flannel boy. It's about Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. You ready for a newsflash? Here's the reveal. That was not their names. Let me show you this in the Bible. Daniel tells us that there was someone who gave them new names. Throw this verse on the screen. The chief official gave them new names. To Daniel, he said, your new name's gonna be Belshazzar. And then Hananiah, your new name is Mishael. Hananiah, sorry. And then he says this for Azariah, your name's gonna be Abednego. So Hananiah, Shadrach, Mishael, Meshach, Azariah, Abednego. Interesting though, as believers in God,

even we have grown accustomed to calling them by their wrong names. Why the name change? I'll tell you why, because Babylon always tries to rename you. Culture always tries to rename you. And listen to me, the meaning of their Hebrew names were very rich in theology about who God was, Yahweh, the one true God. Look at it on the screen. Hananiah meant Yahweh has been gracious. Mishael meant who is what God is. Azariah, Yahweh has helped. Like if you're looking for baby names, look no further, you got them. There are new names centered around these false gods in Babylon. Look at what their new names meant. Shadrach meant inspired by Aku. Aku was a false god. Meshach, belonging to Aku. Abednego, servant of Nego. Like assigning new names was a common practice in this time in the ancient world. But look at me, look at me. Here's the intent. The intent of assigning the new name was hopefully that the person's identity would turn around and be matched to the new name. So they wanted to not just change a name,

they wanted to change the identity of the person. Now we know, as believers in God, that God is the originator of the name change. We had Abram turned into Abraham, father of many nations. He came to Simon, he says, your name means small pebble. I'm gonna name you Peter, which means large rock. Look at me, look at me. But anytime God changes your name, it's to point to your identity in Christ. Anytime the devil gives you a new name, it's to pull your identity from Christ. You have two names. You have a name God gave you, and you have a name the devil named you. You get to decide which one you're gonna respond to. And you think about this, the intent of the name change for these three Hebrew captives was to change their identity until their life matched the name. They said, forget the well you've been drinking from. You're in Babylon now. We drink from a different source. You're gonna be known as something else. So forget God, forget Yahweh. You're now going to identify by a coup from these false deities. And by the way, can I tell you this? God wants to give you a new name, but so does the devil. And every one of us, again, has a decision to make.

What name are you going to go by? Names are what you go by. Gives you identity. It's what you respond to. And when someone calls your name, if somebody came in to a crowd, called your name, you would immediately turn around. But some of you have been responding to names God didn't give you. Ooh. I said some of you are responding to names God did not give you. These three Hebrew boys, real name, their true identities were tied to who they were in God, and as a result of who they were in God, they then had the confidence to stand for God, even though culture around them wanted them to bow. You need to know who you are in God. If you're gonna stand in culture, you gotta know who you are in Him. Because listen, somebody calls you by a wrong name, can I suggest to you, you don't have to respond anymore. Matter of fact, the devil's been calling you by the wrong names for a long time now, and some of us have been saying, huh, what's that? Some of you have been responding to names that don't even belong to you. Some of you have been responding to names like shame, or broken, or bitter, or offended, or victim, or stuck, or unhealed, or unwanted,

or unloved, or a messed up, or alcoholic, or a addict, or damaged goods, but can I tell you, today is the day that you declare in Christ, that is not my name. Stop calling me that. Stop referring to me as that. Stop expecting me to respond to that because that's not my name. As you place your faith fully in Jesus Christ and repent, you turn around, you get to experience, you now become a new creation in God. Everything is gone that's old and the new finally is here. Come on, somebody clap your hands and give God glory today for a new name. Matter of fact, some of you might need to reintroduce yourself to some people and say, listen, hello, my name is Love, my name is Freed, my name is Friend of God, my name is Sealed, my name is Chosen, my name is Heir, my name is Righteous, my name is Justified, middle name, Redeemed, because God has changed my name. There's a lot of people who when they're called by a wrong name, they don't even correct them. You ever get your Starbucks drink, they have a wrong name and you're just like, I guess I'll be that. Don't respond to wrong names. See yourself the way God has named you because we have been responding for way too long. We need to learn how to say vocally

even out loud over ourselves. My name is not lost, no, it's found. My name's not broken, it's healed. My name's not cursed, it's blessed. My name is not anxiety, my name is secure. My name is not fearful, it's at peace. My name's not wanderer, it's a citizen of heaven. My name's not garbage, I'm a masterpiece. My name is not orphan, it's not worthless, it's not empty, it's not discarded. I am a child of God. Can I hear a good amen? Amen. And can I tell you this, your identity doesn't change based on what you're currently walking through. Matter of fact, Paul turns around and he describes this. He says, we are hard pressed on every side. That's what I'm going through, but my name is not crushed. He said, I'm perplexed, that's what I'm going through, but my name is not despair. I'm persecuted, that's what I'm going through, but my name's not forsaken. I'm struck down, yeah, but my name is not destroyed. Growing up, they always mispronounced and misspelled my name, Sean Nepstad. They'd spell it S-C-A-N, Sean, my last name Nepstad, it'd be on my third grade baseball jersey, it literally says Nepstap, and I asked my mom, I was a monk, they spelled my name wrong. Can we get that changed?

She was like, that seems like a lot of work. Let's just roll with it. I went through an entire season with the wrong name on my jersey. Some of you have been going through entire seasons carrying the wrong name. That's not your name, and today's the day you declare, that is not my name. Can I tell you this? Jesus has a powerful name, and they tried to tell him, he's a false teacher, nah, he's the Christ. They tried to say that he's just a carpenter's son. No, he's the great I am. They even tried to say his name is dead. He says, no, I know my name. My name is resurrection, my name is life. He knew who he was, and my friend, you need to know who you are in him too. The Bible, let me just tie this together, bring it home. Did anybody notice reading Daniel, the Bible refers to Daniel as Daniel through the entire Bible. They never once call him by his other name that culture gave him. Babylon tried to change his name. Don't let the world influence you for one more day. Don't let the world try to rename you. You get your identity from God and God alone. And here's two more verses. The Bible says this, fear not, I've redeemed you.

God says, I have called you by name. And I'm giving you all of this to you because in a season of holy thirst, in a season of 21 days of prayer and fasting, some people don't approach God because you have a wrong view of God and you have a wrong view of you. But may today in the mighty name of Jesus, be the day that you see yourself as he sees you. And then you get to experience this last verse. The Bible says, let us approach God's throne of grace with confidence so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in the time of need. Let this be a season of prayer and a season of hunger and thirst for God. you experience more of God than you have ever experienced in your life because you are who he calls you. You're not who culture calls you and you're not who your past calls you. Amen everybody. Come on if you believe that at every location clap your hands and thank God today. Would you bow your heads with me? Just ask Holy Spirit what are you saying to me? I want to give you an opportunity to give your life to Christ. It's very very simple. Some people think I need to go back and fix myself and then I'll come to God. No that's not how this thing works. We're saved by grace through faith. When we all get to heaven there's gonna be some people in heaven and and you're surprised they're there. You're gonna be like you you made it and they're gonna be looking at you like you made it. Yeah we all made it who put our faith in Christ because it's not by works it's by putting our faith in him receiving his grace. It's a free gift. Today if you say Sean my life isn't right with God it's not that I just don't go to church or I you know if my life is not right with God you know you feel it. And if you want to give your life to Christ in just a moment I'm going to ask you to be bold and lift up your hand. By the way can I say this these brothers took a stand for God in a fiery furnace. Daniel took a stand for God in a lion's den and we have a problem raising our hand in a

church. Come on everybody let's be bold today. If you want to give your life to Christ or you were once close to God here's a second group of people and you want to recommit your life to God because you've strayed. You've drifted meaning you're not where you used to be and today you want to recommit your life to God. So if that's you in every location I want to give my life to Christ or rededicate my life to Christ on the count of three I want you to lift your hand right here in this place at your at your location and just tell the Lord count me in that prayer I'm giving my life to Christ today. You ready? You ready? Be bold come on one two three lift your hand up but just leave it up lift it high lift it high lift it high yep yep yep there's lots of hands lots of hands every location God sees that. Can we clap our hands and encourage every single person? Okay I'm gonna give you the words to pray with your heads bowed and your eyes closed kind of like a pastor does at a marriage ceremony for the bride and the groom. He gives them the words but they turn around and make them their own. I'll give you the words you make these words your own just say Heavenly Father come on let's all say this out loud every location Heavenly Father thank you for loving me first today I give you my life forgive me from my sin wash me clean be my Lord and Savior I repent and turn to you from this day forward I'm yours I will be identified as a Christian by name you give me help me to influence others and not be influenced by the world it's in Jesus name I pray amen and amen come on let's clap our hands every campus you can take your service praise the Lord come on give him praise sir and then to all of our guests if you're looking for a church home I hope you don't need to look any further you're among some of the kindest most loving people in all of Oklahoma give us a year of your life and watch what God will do he will change your life would you stand up with me all over this place we're family here at People's Church come on would you shout it with me on three one two three we're family God bless you church oh God my God I need you now