The Name “Jesus”
Matthew 1:21
Purpose: To display Christ’s role as savior.
Aim: I want the listener to glory in who Jesus is and worship Him passionately.
INTRODUCTION: "There are two hundred and fifty-six names given in the Bible for the Lord Jesus Christ, and I suppose this was because He was infinitely beyond all that any one name could express." [Billy Sunday, in a sermon, “Wonderful,” quoted in The Real Billy Sunday]
“Truly, no name can banish fear like the name of Jesus: it is the beginning of hope and the end of despair.” Spurgeon
Who was Jesus? Gregory, an early church father, answered:
• He began His ministry by being hungry, yet He is the Bread of Life.
• Jesus ended His earthly ministry by being thirsty, yet He is the
Living Water.
• Jesus was weary, yet He is our rest.
• Jesus paid tribute, yet He is the King.
• Jesus was accused of having a demon, yet He cast out demons.
• Jesus wept, yet He wipes away our tears.
• Jesus was sold for thirty pieces of silver, yet He redeemed the world.
• Jesus was brought as a lamb to the slaughter, yet He is the Good Shepherd.
• Jesus died, yet by His death He destroyed the power of death. [Gregory of Nazianzus, A.D. 38110,000 sermon illustrations. 2000 (electronic ed.). Dallas: Biblical Studies Press.]
Today we are going to look at the name that was given to our Savior even before He was born.
➽ I. Who Named Jesus?
➽ A. God announced His name
As a rule, parents name their children. They usually pick a name for their child based on its meaning or in order to honor a family member.
In our text we see that Christ is given the name Jesus. This was a very common name among the Jews in that day, but the way Jesus received His name is unique in all of human history. Joseph and Mary were not allowed to name the child born to Mary, although, it could be said that the real Father did name the Child because Jesus had no human father.
When Joseph was asked if he was the father of Jesus, he could well have replied, “I am not his father, but he is mine!”
Jesus is a name that was chosen by God and revealed to both Mary and Joseph, so it must have great importance. The name “Jesus” came directly from heaven. Matthew 11:27 … no one knows the Son except the Father… (NAU)
➽ B. Believers proclaim His name
God announced the name of Jesus, but it was Joseph and Mary who proclaimed it.
So it must be with us. Romans 10:9-10 9 that if you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved; 10 for with the heart a person believes, resulting in righteousness, and with the mouth he confesses, resulting in salvation. (NAU)
Moses sang, 3 “For I proclaim the name of the Lord; Ascribe greatness to our God! 4“The Rock! His work is perfect, For all His ways are just; A God of faithfulness and without injustice, Righteous and upright is He. (Deuteronomy 32:3-4 NAU)
It was not long after Paul met Jesus that Acts 9:20 immediately he began to proclaim Jesus in the synagogues, saying, “He is the Son of God.” (NAU)
By the grace of God I will proclaim the name of Jesus every opportunity I have. I have vowed to never pray in private or public without acknowledging the name of Jesus.
➽ II. What is the Meaning of the Name Jesus?
Jesus is the Greek form of the Hebrew name Joshua which means “Yahweh is Salvation.”
➽ A. The name Jesus pictures His purpose
Joshua in the OT is a picture of Jesus in the NT. Not only do they both have the same name, but as Joshua brought the Jews into a new land and inheritance Jesus is the One who leads us into a new relationship with our God. 2 Corinthians 5:17-18 17 Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creature; the old things passed away; behold, new things have come. 18 Now all these things are from God, who reconciled us to Himself through Christ… (NAU)
➽ B. The name Jesus points to our need
It is interesting to note that Joshua followed the lawgiver Moses. In the same way Jesus came after the Law because the Law cannot save us. Otherwise there would be no need for Jesus to die for our sin. We don’t need rules, we need grace.
The Law cannot provide a right relationship with our God, but Jesus can bring us into a relationship with our God, into a spiritual land flowing with milk and honey.
The Law has failed to save us because we have failed to keep the Law. Galatians 3:24 Therefore the Law has become our tutor to lead us to Christ, so that we may be justified by faith. (NAU)
Out text makes it clear why the name Jesus is used for the Christ child. Matthew 1:21 “She will bear a Son; and you shall call His name Jesus, for He will save His people from their sins.” (NAU)
The Jews were looking for a savior, but they want someone to free them from Rome. They saw little need to be free from their sin.
Jesus, though, came to save us from our sins. He did not come to save us from our poverty as many television evangelists will lead you to believe. Jesus did not come to save us from bad politicians. Jesus did not come to save us from all heartaches. Jesus didn’t even come primarily to set a good example.
“The angelic annunciation makes clear that the Lord did not come to earth merely to be a good example, but to provide the atoning sacrifice that would save His people from sin and hell.” [Custer, S. (2005). The Gospel of the King : A commentary on Matthew (11). Greenville, S.C.: BJU Press "This is a devotional commentary on the book of Matthew"--Provided by publisher.]
Paul made the reason for Jesus coming to earth very clear when he said, 1 Timothy 1:15 It is a trustworthy statement, deserving full acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, among whom I am foremost of all. (NAU)
As Martin Luther says,Jesus never gave Himself for our righteousness, but He did give Himself for our sins.
The simple and lovely name of Jesus has long been hated. Acts 26:9-11 9 “So then, I thought to myself that I had to do many things hostile to the name of Jesus of Nazareth. 10 “And this is just what I did in Jerusalem; not only did I lock up many of the saints in prisons, having received authority from the chief priests, but also when they were being put to death I cast my vote against them. 11“And as I punished them often in all the synagogues, I tried to force them to blaspheme; and being furiously enraged at them, I kept pursuing them even to foreign cities. (NAU)
The name of Jesus continues to be hated today. Public prayers are often tolerated only as long as the name Jesus is not mentioned.
Mankind hates the name of Jesus because the very name implies that they are sinners. John 3:19-20 19 “This is the judgment, that the Light has come into the world, and men loved the darkness rather than the Light, for their deeds were evil. 20 “For everyone who does evil hates the Light, and does not come to the Light for fear that his deeds will be exposed. (NAU) The Jewish religious leaders hated the name of Jesus. Acts 4:17 “But so that it will not spread any further among the people, let us warn them to speak no longer to any man in this name.” (NAU)
At one point the rebellious Jews refused to hear any more about their God. Isaiah 30:9-11 9 For this is a rebellious people, false sons, Sons who refuse to listen To the instruction of the Lord; 10 Who say to the seers, “You must not see visions”; And to the prophets, “You must not prophesy to us what is right, Speak to us pleasant words, Prophesy illusions. 11 “Get out of the way, turn aside from the path, Let us hear no more about the Holy One of Israel.” (NAU)
➽ C. The name Jesus shows His sufficiency
I was fascinated to learn that there are three men in the OT named Joshua that we know anything about. Joshua who followed Moses was called a prophet like Moses. In the book of Haggai we learn of another Joshua who was the High Priest. Then in second Kings 23 we learn about another Joshua who was the governor of Jerusalem. So, one was a prophet, one was a priest and one was a king.
These are the three offices we see Jesus holding. Hebrews 1:1-3 1 God, after He spoke long ago to the fathers in the prophets in many portions and in many ways, 2 in these last days has spoken to us in His Son, whom He appointed heir of all things,[i.e. The King] through whom also He made the world. 3 And He is the radiance of His glory and the exact representation of His nature, and upholds all things by the word of His power. When He had made purification of sins, He sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high,[i.e. Priest] (NAU)
The point is that Jesus is all that we need!
➽ D. The name Jesus proves that He is God
The OT taught that only God could provide salvation. Psalm 3:8 Salvation belongs to the Lord… (NAU).
Yahweh is the most sacred name for God that we have. When God spoke to Moses through a burning bush in Exodus 3:13-14 13 Then Moses said to God, “Behold, I am going to the sons of Israel, and I will say to them, ‘The God of your fathers has sent me to you.’ Now they may say to me, ‘What is His name?’ What shall I say to them?” 14 God said to Moses, “I AM WHO I AM”; and He said, “Thus you shall say to the sons of Israel, ‘I AM has sent me to you.’ ” (NAU) “I AM that I AM” teaches us that God is eternal and that He needs nothing outside of Himself.
Later Jesus said John 8:24 “Therefore I said to you that you will die in your sins; for unless you believe that I AM [He], you will die in your sins.” (NAU)
Verse 23 makes the deity of Jesus very clear. Matthew quotes Isaiah 7:14, Matthew 1:23 “Behold, the virgin shall be with child and shall bear a Son, and they shall call His name Immanuel,” which translated means, “God with us.” (NAU)
➽ III. How Important is the Name Jesus?
➽ A. You must call on His name if you want forgiveness
We ignore the name of Jesus our God to our own peril. Psalm 145:18 The Lord is near to all who call upon Him, To all who call upon Him in truth. (NAU)
When God calls sinners to Himself they will call on Him. 1 Corinthians 1:2 To the church of God which is at Corinth, to those who have been sanctified in Christ Jesus, saints by calling, with all who in every place call on the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, their Lord and ours(NAU)
Jeremiah 29:11-13 11 ‘For I know the plans that I have for you,’ declares the Lord, ‘plans for welfare and not for calamity to give you a future and a hope. 12 ‘Then you will call upon Me and come and pray to Me, and I will listen to you. 13 ‘You will seek Me and find Me when you search for Me with all your heart. (NAU)
➽ B. Everyone must submit to His name
When Jesus comes the second time He will make all wrongs right, and everything unfair fair. In Luke’s account of the birth of Jesus he records the words of the angel Gabriel to Mary. Luke 1:31-33 31 “And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall name Him Jesus. 32 “He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High; and [this refers to Jesus’ second coming] the Lord God will give Him the throne of His father David; 33 and He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and His kingdom will have no end.” (NAU)
Philippians 2:10 so that at the name of Jesus every knee will bow, of those who are in heaven and on earth and under the earth, (NAU)
“If he was Jesus in the cradle, what is he now that he is exalted in the heavens?” Spurgeon
Psalm 2:7-12 7 “I will surely tell of the decree of the Lord: He said to Me, ‘You are My Son, Today I have begotten You. 8 ‘Ask of Me, and I will surely give the nations as Your inheritance, And the very ends of the earth as Your possession. 9 ‘You shall break them with a rod of iron, You shall shatter them like earthenware.’ ” 10 Now therefore, O kings, show discernment; Take warning, O judges of the earth. 11 Worship the Lord with reverence And rejoice with trembling. 12 Do homage to the Son, that He not become angry, and you perish in the way, For His wrath may soon be kindled. How blessed are all who take refuge in Him! (NAU)
Charles Spurgeon said, “Climb ye up to heaven, and behold the snow-white host, glittering like the sun in spotless purity. I ask them whence came they? The reply is that they have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb. It is most true that Jesus saves his people from their sins-earth knows it, hell howls at it, and heaven chants it; time has seen it, and eternity shall reveal it. There is none like to Jesus in saving power. All glory be to him! When he shall come from heaven with a shout, and all his hosts shall be with him, when the day of the supper of the Lamb shall come, and the bride hath made herself ready, and she that is the queen all glorious within, wearing her raiment of wrought gold, shall sit down at the table of God with her glorious husband then shall it be seen that he has saved his church, his people, from their sins.”
CONCLUSION: Before Jesus was even born, He was named Jesus which pointed to His death on the Cross. We can live because this Child would die. 1 Peter 3:18 For Christ also died for sins once for all, the just for the unjust, so that He might bring us to God, having been put to death in the flesh, but made alive in the spirit; (NAU)
Do you feel guilty before God? If so, then call on the name of Jesus for a pardon.
If you have called on Jesus for your pardon, then you want to join the thousands of angels who said: Luke 2:14 “Glory to God in the highest, And on earth peace among men with whom He is pleased.” (NAU)
