Sermon - Jesus; There's Just Something About That Name Series

Sermon - Jesus; There's Just Something About That Name.

Scripture Lessons: Luke 1:26-33 “In the sixth month of Elizabeth’s pregnancy, God sent the angel Gabriel to Nazareth, a village in Galilee, to a virgin named Mary. She was engaged to be married to a man named Joseph, a descendant of King David. Gabriel appeared to her and said, “Greetings, favored woman! The Lord is with you!” Confused and disturbed, Mary tried to think what the angel could mean. “Don’t be afraid, Mary,” the angel told her, “for you have found favor with God! You will conceive and give birth to a son, and you will name him Jesus. He will be very great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his ancestor David. And he will reign over Israel forever; his Kingdom will never end!”

Matthew 1:18-23 “This is how Jesus the Messiah was born. His mother, Mary, was engaged to be married to Joseph. But before the marriage took place, while she was still a virgin, she became pregnant through the power of the Holy Spirit. Joseph, to whom she was engaged, was a righteous man and did not want to disgrace her publicly, so he decided to break the engagement quietly. As he considered this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream. “Joseph, son of David,” the angel said, “do not be afraid to take Mary as your wife. For the child within her was conceived by the Holy Spirit. And she will have a son, and you are to name him Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.” All of this occurred to fulfill the Lord’s message through his prophet: “Look! The virgin will conceive a child! She will give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel, which means ‘God is with us.’”

Introduction: His Name Shall be Called Jesus! Bill and Gloria Gaither penned it this way, “Jesus, Jesus, Jesus; there's just something about that name. Master, Savior, Jesus, like the fragrance after the rain; Jesus, Jesus, Jesus, let all Heaven and earth proclaim, Kings and kingdoms will all pass away, But there's something about that name. Kings and kingdoms will all pass away.”

There is something about that name. That name is the Christmas story in one word. The prophecy concerning the kingdom of God and the house of David were confirmed in the angelic message to Mary and Joseph. Truly, the virgin will bring forth her son and this son shall be called Jesus, who is Immanuel, God with us. Moses, Isaiah, and Matthew all perfectly aligned to confirm that God’s word is true. The wisdom and providence of God is in full display throughout the Christmas story. His birthplace, His birth parent and His birth name were all foretold. Isaiah calls His Name Immanuel, God with us so all would know that Jesus is God incarnate. In what sense, then, is Jesus Christ God with us? Jesus is called Immanuel, or God with us, in his incarnation. God united to our human nature. God with man and within man. God with us, by his continual protection. God with us, by the influences of his Holy Spirit, in the holy sacrament we receive, in the preaching of his word we proclaim, in our private and public worship and prayers. And God with us, through every action of our life, that we begin, continue, and end in his name. I want to share the Christmas message in two words, Emmanual, and Jesus! Of all the names, God could have chosen, He chose these two. Let’s consider Emmanual.

First, The Christmas message reminds us of His name is Emmanual. He is God with us, to comfort, enlighten, protect, and defend us in every time of temptation and trial, in the hour of death, in the day of judgment; and God with us, and in us, and we with and in him, to all eternity. During the Exodus story, Israel’s greatest trouble came while Moses was on the mountain with God. Feeling afraid, alone, abandon, they influenced Aaron to build an idol God. When people feel afraid, alone, abandoned, they start searching for some source of comfort. Where do you go for comfort? God called his name Emmanual to give us the assurance that He is God with us, to comfort, enlighten, protect, and defend us in every time of temptation and trial, in the hour of death and in the day of judgment. Never again will we need to make our own God. God is with us, and in us, now and forever. In Him we live, move, and have our being. God is with Us and in us for all eternity. He will never leave us, nor forsake us. The Christmas message says we are not alone and never will be again. The Old Testament Name for God’s Messiah was Emmanual, God with us, our greatest need. If first impressions count for anything, then the personal name God gave His Messiah was vital. God alone selected that name. In the New Testament, neither Mary nor Joseph chose the name of His son. In fact, both Mary and Joseph received the same instructions.