25 December 2022
Isaiah 9:6
What’s in a Name?
The child to be born simply means that the humanity of
Jesus has a starting point. The Son must be given because the Second Person of
the Trinity is eternal. Now He adds humanity to His deity.
That Jesus is both God and man tells us that man
really is made in the image of God. Then God said, “Let us make man in our
image, after our likeness. And let them have dominion over the fish of the sea
and over the birds of the heavens and over the livestock and over all the earth
and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.” - Genesis 1:26
Our problem. Is not our humanity. But our fallenness.
To say, “I am only human,” is not enough. Jesus was fully human. Yet
perfect. It is more accurate to say, “I
am only fallen.” The humanity Jesus adds to His Divine nature was not the
sinful humanity we commonly known. But the perfect humanity of Adam and Ever
before the fall.
Jesus remains a man eternally. The Scriptures teach; “For
there is one God, and one mediator also between God and men, the man Christ
Jesus,”- 1 Timothy 2:5; “But Stephen, full of the Holy Spirit, gazed
into heaven and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing pat the right hand of
God. And he said, “Behold, I see the
heavens opened, and the Son of Man standing pat the right hand of God.”-Acts
7:55-56 Jesus is now a man in a resurrected body. A body you will one day
receive.
If Jesus were not fully man. He could not stand in the
place of sinful men to be the substitute for the punishment our sin deserves.
If He were not fully God – His sacrifice would be insufficient.
Where is the Gospel located in the Christmas story? It
is found in the announcement from the angel of the LORD to your ears this day –
“Fear not! For behold. I bring you good news of
great joy that will be for all people. For unto you is born this day in the
city of David a Savior who is Christ the LORD.” – Luke 2:10-11
Isaiah tells us “His name shall be called…” The
idea is not that these will be literal names of the Messiah. Instead. These are
the aspects of His character. These words describe who He is and what He has
come to do.
What’s in a name? A name identifies the character of a
person. For example, my name, “Daniel” is of Hebrew origin and means, “God is
my judge.” Tamara is also Hebrew, which means, “Palm tree.” Henry mans “Ruler
of the Home” while Lydia is Greek for “cultured.” Gabor is of Hebrew origin
meaning, “God is my strength,” or “God is my strong man.”[1]
In Biblical thought, you are a name. The son born on
Christmas is no ordinary person as shown by the name He is given. What’s in a
name especially His name? Consider Jesus’ title.
I. Jesus is your Counselor-
A. He guides us into the ways of truth, divine and eternal truth.
B. He is a helper – who came to rescue us from our greatest peril. The powers of sin, death and the Devil.
C. Advocate – Paul put it this way, “God was in Christ reconciling us to the Father, not counting our sins against us. And He has given us this ministry of reconciliation.”
D. Jesus is your counselor. It was by a counselor that this world was ruined. Did not Satan make himself in the form of a serpent? That Eve should take unto herself the fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. In the hope that she would be like God?
This world needs a counselor to restore it since it had a counselor to destroy it. You may have a friend. That talks sweetly with you. And you might say, “Well, he is a kind soul. But I can trust his judgment.”
You have another friend. Who has a good deal of judgement but he has no sympathy. But when you go to Jesus you get wisdom. You bet love. You get sympathy. You get everything that can possibly be wanted in a counselor.
II. He is the Mighty God-
A. The transcendent One – who created this universe in six days and rested on the seventh. He created a vast universe for us to explore, to profit from ($1 spent in exploration translates into $17 in return) Yet He is the one who governs our days and orders our universe.
B. Totally, other – One whose will was to be born in human likeness who for us men and our salvation came down from heaven and was incarnate by the Holy Ghost and was made man. Conceived by the Spirit and born of the Virgin He is our Savior from sin, death, and the devil.
C. He is the God of all creation. Ad glory. The LORD who reigns in heaven. The ONE worthy of worship and praise.
III. He is the Everlasting Father –
A. Warm – who has loved us with an everlasting love.
B. Tender – who speaks to us favorably through His inspired Word.
C. Caring – Who in love has reached down to us to save us from our sins.
D. In these Hebrew words is the understand that Jesus is the source and author of all eternity. He is the Creator Himself.
E. He is the Compassionate God- Who broke into time and space to be our Savior – who took on flesh to dwell among us, to take the burden of our guilt and sin.
IV. He is the Prince of Peace –
A. The creator of our peace with God. He is the source of every blessing. Our peace comes only from Him.
B. The one who will bestow His abiding peace on those who are called by His saving Gospel. This is why we share His story with the world so that souls might be won for Him.
C. He is the one who makes peace. Especially between God and man. The Apostle Paul suggests – “For he himself is our peace who has made us both one and has broken down in his flesh the dividing wall of hostility.” – Ephesians 2:14
What’s in a name? There’s plenty. The child whose birth we celebrate this day has been given the name “Jesus” for “He will save His people from their sins.” And save us is what He has done. No wonder the angels who announced His birth would exclaim, “There is now peace on earth and good will toward men”! A Blessed Christmas in Jesus’ Name. Amen
Words-1,125
Passive
Sentences – 10%
Readability –
80.4%
Reading Level – 4.7
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