His Name Shall Be Called Wonderful

“HIS NAME SHALL BE CALLED WONDERFUL”

Text: Isa.9: 6

Intro: There is much meaning and importance attached to a name. A name identifies a person. Associated with a particular name are all sorts of character and personality traits. When we mention someone’s name in conversation we immediately associate not only a face, but also the whole personality of that person.

In our day parents often give a particular name to a child either because they like the sound of the name, or because a favorite relative had the same name. But in the beginning names were given with certain meanings in mind. Going all the way back to the Garden of Eden, we find that God named the first man with a particular meaning in mind. God called the first man, “Adam,” which means, “red earth.” God named the first man, Adam, because he was made from the dust of the earth. Adam likewise named his wife, “Eve,” “…for she is the mother of all living,” Adam said.

We can recall others in the Old Testament whose names bore special meaning. We think of a man named “Jacob,” who was named thus because of his deceptive nature. The name Jacob means “supplanter.” He was later renamed by God, Who called him “Israel,” meaning, “prince with God.”

However, of all the names defined for us in the pages of God’s Word, the name, “Jesus,” holds the most meaning. The angel, Gabriel, told Joseph that the child born to Mary was to be named Jesus, because “…he shall save his people from their sins” (Matt.1: 21). Joseph and Mary would have immediately known the meaning of that name, because it is the Greek rendering of the Hebrew name, “Jehoshua,” which means, “Jehovah saves.”

In the first chapter of Matthew’s gospel, Christ is referred to as, “Emmanuel,” which means, “God with us” (Matt.1: 23). As a matter of fact, in Matthew chapter one alone, we are told of the purpose and personality of Christ, simply by the names attributed to Him. The name, “Jesus,” speaks of His divine purpose, while the name, “Emmanuel,” speaks of His divine personality.

Today’s text gives us a prophetic picture of the character and purpose of the Lord Jesus Christ. But I want to deal with only one designation given to Christ in this passage—“His name shall be called Wonderful.”

Theme: Jesus is wonderful:

I. IN HIS PURITY

A. The Purity Of His Conception.

1. Jesus Christ was not of the seed of man.

Gen.3: 15 “And I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel.”

NOTE: This verse clearly prophesied that the Christ would be of “her seed,” indicating that He would have no human father. This is significant in the fact that the sin nature is passed to the offspring through the seed of the father. Paul put it this way: “Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned:” (Rom.5: 12).

2. The conception of Jesus was a divine act of the Holy Spirit.

Matt.1: 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.”

B. The Purity Of His Character.

Heb.4: 15 “For we have not an high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin.”

I Pet.1: 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:”

NOTE: The Lord Jesus was not tempted to reveal any hidden imperfections, but to reveal that He was impeccable.

As the Union Pacific Railroad was being constructed, an elaborate trestle bridge was built across a large canyon in the West. Wanting to test the bridge, the builder loaded a train with enough extra cars and equipment to double its normal payload. The train was then driven to the middle of the bridge, where it stayed an entire day.

One worker asked, “Are you trying to break this bridge?”

“No,” the builder replied, “I’m trying to prove that the bridge won’t break.”

In the same way, the temptations Jesus faced weren’t designed to see if He would sin, but to prove that He couldn’t.

Today in the Word, March 14, 1991.

II. IN HIS POWER