What's in a Name?
Notes
Transcript
Intro: A name is the title by which one person is designated from another. It is a way for us to tell people, places and things apart. In our day, manes do not hold much significance. William Shakespeare said, “A rose by any other name would smell just as sweet.” For us, names are just a way to tell thing apart.
It was not always this way. In Old Testament times, a name stood for a person’s “reputation, their fame and their glory.” Parents often gave children names that described the parent’s hopes and future expectations regarding that child. The word translated “name” in the Old Testament literally means “A mark or a brand.” People were given the names they were given for a reason. A study of Bible names often reveals much about the personality of the people mentioned in the Bible.
For instance, David means “Beloved.”
Abraham means “Father of a multitude.”
Jacob means “Trickster.”
Goliath means “Splendor.”
All of these people proved true to their names!
What’s in a name? If that name is Donny Haynes, not very much. But, if the name is Jesus, everything is in that name!
His name is the source of our salvation.
His name is the hope of our hearts.
His name can break sin’s bondage and cool the fevered brow.
His name can lift the greatest burdens.
His name can comfort the broken heart.
His name is a name worth knowing, because is speaks of a Savior worth loving.
His name is everything.
His name unlocks the door of heaven and closes the gates of Hell.
His name saves the vilest sinner; redeems the blackest soul; and secures the precious saints.
6 For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: And the government shall be upon his shoulder: And his name shall be called Wonderful, Counseller, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace.
The Supernatural One
The Supernatural One
Wonderful - Miracle, something unusual, (Sense) of extraordinary nature making it mysterious or difficult to comprehend.
This word means Miracle, Supernatural, Secret and Extraordinary, Ill.
18 And the angel of the Lord said unto him, Why askest thou thus after my name, seeing it is secret?
He is the Miracle Man! Men cannot comprehend Him, but He can be believed on by the smallest child. He is wonderful!
18 Now the birth of Jesus Christ was on this wise: When as his mother Mary was espoused to Joseph, before they came together, she was found with child of the Holy Ghost.
19 Then Joseph her husband, being a just man, and not willing to make her a publick example, was minded to put her away privily.
20 But while he thought on these things, behold, the angel of the Lord appeared unto him in a dream, saying, Joseph, thou son of David, fear not to take unto thee Mary thy wife: for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Ghost.
21 And she shall bring forth a son, and thou shalt call his name JESUS: for he shall save his people from their sins.
22 Now all this was done, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken of the Lord by the prophet, saying,
23 Behold, a virgin shall be with child, and shall bring forth a son, and they shall call his name Emmanuel, which being interpreted is, God with us.
His Specialness
His Specialness
Virgin Birth
Virgin Birth
Jesus Christ had no human father! He Father is God Himself! What makes the conception of the Lord Jesus so fantastic is the fact that He was born to a virgin! Now. We all know the traditional method by which babies are conceived and brought into this world. However, the conception of Jesus was different! His mother was a virgin, Isa. 7:14; Matt. 1:23; Luke 1:34–35.
(Ill. This is an essential doctrine! Without a virgin birth, we do not have a sinless Savior and we have no hope of salvation. It is impossible to be saved and deny the truth of the virgin birth of the Lord Jesus Christ!)
18 Now the birth of Jesus Christ was on this wise: When as his mother Mary was espoused to Joseph, before they came together, she was found with child of the Holy Ghost.
20 But while he thought on these things, behold, the angel of the Lord appeared unto him in a dream, saying, Joseph, thou son of David, fear not to take unto thee Mary thy wife: for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Ghost.
23 Behold, a virgin shall be with child, and shall bring forth a son, and they shall call his name Emmanuel, which being interpreted is, God with us.
14 Therefore the Lord himself shall give you a sign; Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, And shall call his name Immanuel.
Immaculate Emergence
Immaculate Emergence
20 But while he thought on these things, behold, the angel of the Lord appeared unto him in a dream, saying, Joseph, thou son of David, fear not to take unto thee Mary thy wife: for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Ghost.
21 And she shall bring forth a son, and thou shalt call his name JESUS: for he shall save his people from their sins.
Jesus was never shy about telling people Who He was. In fact, His claims were what caused the Jews to seek His death. What was the claim that Jesus made that was so offensive to these people? The answer to that question is two-fold.
Jesus Claimed To Be The Son Of God—
36 Say ye of him, whom the Father hath sanctified, and sent into the world, Thou blasphemest; because I said, I am the Son of God?
. Jesus claimed that He was the Son of God in Heaven. All the people supposed Him to be the son of Joseph,
3 Is not this the carpenter, the son of Mary, the brother of James, and Joses, and of Juda, and Simon? and are not his sisters here with us? And they were offended at him.
However, Jesus claimed a special relationship with the Father in Heaven.
(Ill. Just as the doctrine of the virgin birth is essential to salvation, so also is the doctrine that Jesus is the Son of God. Until a person comes to the place that they are willing to confess Jesus to be the Son of God, they cannot be saved!)
Individual Existence
Individual Existence
22 Now all this was done, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken of the Lord by the prophet, saying,
23 Behold, a virgin shall be with child, and shall bring forth a son, and they shall call his name Emmanuel, which being interpreted is, God with us.
24 Then Joseph being raised from sleep did as the angel of the Lord had bidden him, and took unto him his wife:
25 And knew her not till she had brought forth her firstborn son: and he called his name JESUS.
9 Jesus saith unto him, Have I been so long time with you, and yet hast thou not known me, Philip? he that hath seen me hath seen the Father; and how sayest thou then, Shew us the Father?
58 Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Before Abraham was, I am.
30 I and my Father are one.
This claim was even more offensive to the Jews than the other one! By making this claim, Jesus was telling them that He was eternal, that He was their God, that they needed to bow before Him and acknowledge Him as their God. This, they were no willing to do!
(Ill. May I remind you that only those who can accept the truth that Jesus is God can be saved! However, to believe that is as simple as believing the Bible,
1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.
14 And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth.
His Steadfastness
His Steadfastness
All of this would have been totally useless without a purpose.
Why did Jesus have to be born of a virgin, with an immaculate emergence, and fully God and fully man?
God had a Desire
God had a Desire
—The name Jesus reveals a God with a desire to save sinners. We are told that Jesus came into this world not to condemn the lost, but to save them,
16 For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.
17 For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved.
18 He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.
This was not a new desire, but it was the heartbeat of God even before the world was formed,
8 And all that dwell upon the earth shall worship him, whose names are not written in the book of life of the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world.
18 Forasmuch as ye know that ye were not redeemed with corruptible things, as silver and gold, from your vain conversation received by tradition from your fathers;
19 But with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot:
20 Who verily was foreordained before the foundation of the world, but was manifest in these last times for you,
God’s plan was conceived in eternity and consummated in time.
Man Needed Deliverance
Man Needed Deliverance
—The name Jesus reminds us that He came into this world for the sole purpose of setting the “captives” free,
18 The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he hath anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor; he hath sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised,
He came for the redemption of the lost,
14 Who gave himself for us, that he might redeem us from all iniquity, and purify unto himself a peculiar people, zealous of good works.
Sin Required Death
Sin Required Death
—The name Jesus reminds us of the fact that He came into this world to die for our sins. The only way the sin problem could have been dealt with is through the shedding of blood,
22 And almost all things are by the law purged with blood; and without shedding of blood is no remission.
Jesus came that He might die on the cross to set us free from sin!
4 Who gave himself for our sins, that he might deliver us from this present evil world, according to the will of God and our Father:
“for us”;
20 I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me.
“for me”.
22 Now all this was done, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken of the Lord by the prophet, saying,
23 Behold, a virgin shall be with child, and shall bring forth a son, and they shall call his name Emmanuel, which being interpreted is, God with us.
His Successfulness
His Successfulness
If the story ended here, with Jesus dead on a cross, this would be a sad story to tell. There would be no reason to celebrate Christmas and no need to come to church. There would be no salivation and no hope for our souls. If He died and that was the end of Him, that would be the end of us as well. But, thank God, the story doesn’t end there! Three days after Jesus died on that cross, He came forth, alive, from the tomb,
1 In the end of the sabbath, as it began to dawn toward the first day of the week, came Mary Magdalene and the other Mary to see the sepulchre.
2 And, behold, there was a great earthquake: for the angel of the Lord descended from heaven, and came and rolled back the stone from the door, and sat upon it.
3 His countenance was like lightning, and his raiment white as snow:
4 And for fear of him the keepers did shake, and became as dead men.
5 And the angel answered and said unto the women, Fear not ye: for I know that ye seek Jesus, which was crucified.
6 He is not here: for he is risen, as he said. Come, see the place where the Lord lay.
. And, He is still alive today.
25 Wherefore he is able also to save them to the uttermost that come unto God by him, seeing he ever liveth to make intercession for them.
Power to Deliver
Power to Deliver
Those who are lost in sin have hope today! They can turn to the Lord Jesus and He will save their souls! There are three basic things that He will do in the heart and life of every sinner that will come to Him by faith.
1. Deliver from Sin
1. Deliver from Sin
—His blood has the power to wash away sins forever! (Ill.
12 As far as the east is from the west, So far hath he removed our transgressions from us.
7 But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin.
When you put your faith in the Lord Jesus Christ and accept His death and resurrection as the payment for your sin debt, He washes you in His blood and your sins are no longer an issue!
2. Deliver Your Sanctification
2. Deliver Your Sanctification
—The human soul is a wicked thing,
9 The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it?
It is lost and undone and cannot have fellowship with God. However, when a sinner trusts Jesus for salvation, Jesus takes that life that was so far away from God and brings it near to God,
12 That at that time ye were without Christ, being aliens from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers from the covenants of promise, having no hope, and without God in the world:
13 But now in Christ Jesus ye who sometimes were far off are made nigh by the blood of Christ.
When Jesus does His saving work in your soul, He makes you pleasing in the sight of God and allows you to enter into a special relationship with God. Because when you are saved, you too become a child of God,
1 Behold, what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we should be called the sons of God: therefore the world knoweth us not, because it knew him not.
2 Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is.
No longer are you black, corrupt and doomed to Hell, but in Jesus you are saved and brought into a close relationship with the Father above!
3. Delivers Sinfulness
3. Delivers Sinfulness
—When He saves someone, He also changes that person. Notice
17 Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.
We have heard this verse until it seems commonplace unto our hearing. However, the truth needs to be understood by everyone here this morning that if you are saved, you have been changed! You cannot be like you were before Jesus any longer! Everything has changed and can never be the same again! Jesus takes the worst sinners and turns them into the best saints,
7 But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellency of the power may be of God, and not of us.
Power to Defend
Power to Defend
—Those who come to Jesus never fear losing what they have been given. When Jesus saves a soul, He does it for all eternity! If you are saved today, you will always be saved,
28 And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand.
5 Who are kept by the power of God through faith unto salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.
37 All that the Father giveth me shall come to me; and him that cometh to me I will in no wise cast out.
38 For I came down from heaven, not to do mine own will, but the will of him that sent me.
39 And this is the Father’s will which hath sent me, that of all which he hath given me I should lose nothing, but should raise it up again at the last day.
40 And this is the will of him that sent me, that every one which seeth the Son, and believeth on him, may have everlasting life: and I will raise him up at the last day.
If you have been putting off salvation because you are afraid that you cannot do it, then let me encourage you to quit looking at yourself and what you can do. Salvation belongs to the Lord! If He can save you then He can keep you saved! If He can’t keep you then He can’t save you to begin with. After all, that was His greatest miracle that truly makes Him Wonderful!
Do you know Jesus?
Do you know Jesus?
He is Wonderful, He is Emmanuel!
He is Wonderful, He is Emmanuel!
When you think about Christmas this year, try to keep things in perspective.
Christmas must not be allowed to continue its slide into paganism, commercialism and the world of fantasy.
You and I who have been exposed to the truth of God’s Word need to remember that Christmas is about Miracles.
The Miracle of that special day when God sent His Son into the world to be the sacrifice for our sins. Christmas is about you coming to know God. After all, that is why God sent His Son into the world! Do you know Jesus this morning? If not, why not come and let me introduce you to Him today? If you do, but things aren’t as they should be between you and the Lord, then I challenge you to bring yourself and your need to Jesus right now. He can fix what is broken in your life.