12-11-2022 – “The Wonderful Names/Titles Given to Jesus”
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December 11, 2022
“The Wonderful Names/Titles Given to Jesus”
Luke 2:15-21
About 2700 years ago, one of God’s prophets (Isaiah) wrote about the future birth of a male child to a virgin; and about 700 years later, a young woman, named Mary, said to be a virgin, gave birth to a male child in Bethlehem, in Judea; the baby was named Jesus [God’s Salvation] and was called Immanuel [God with us].
This child would be the only source of salvation for mankind, and He would also be the fullness of God in human flesh. God told the world ahead of time, so that when it happened people would believe in His Son for the forgiveness of their sins.
Isaiah 7:14,
“Therefore the Lord Himself will give you a sign: Behold, a virgin will be with child and bear a son, and she will call His name Immanuel.”
Christmas is the celebration of Jesus' birth: it is a compound word formed from the words Christ [the Holy One], and Mass [a gathering for religious observances], i.e, Christmas celebrates the good news that the Savior has come to earth.
The next time you go to a large store or a shopping mall, consider the following, “If you weren't a Christian and didn’t know about God’s Son, is there anything out in the public marketplace that would point you to Jesus?” Probably not!
Last week we read, in Luke 2:1-14, how God moved Caesar Augustus to order a census that would eventually bring Joseph, and Mary (who was pregnant with Jesus), to travel to their ancestral home town, Bethlehem, near Jerusalem; while they were in Bethlehem it came time for the baby to be born, and Mary wrapped Him in cloths and placed Him in a manger [a feeding trough used by animals].
We read how God used an angel to announce the birth of His Son to some shepherds who were out in the fields watching over their flock at night. The angel declared to them the good news that indeed the Savior had been born, and He is Christ the Lord.
The shepherds were instructed to go to Bethlehem and search for the newborn baby, who would be wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger. At that moment a large number of angels appeared praising God and saying, Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace among upon whom God’s favor rests.
Read Luke 2:15-20…
15 When the angels had gone away from them into heaven, the shepherds began saying to one another, “Let us go straight to Bethlehem then, and see this thing that has happened which the Lord has made known to us.”
16 So they came in a hurry and found their way to Mary and Joseph, and the baby as He lay in the manger.
17 When they had seen this, they made known the statement which had been told them about this Child.
18 And all who heard it wondered at the things which were told them by the shepherds.
19 But Mary treasured all these things, pondering them in her heart.
20 The shepherds went back, glorifying and praising God for all that they had heard and seen, just as had been told them.
After the angels had departed, the shepherds, believing what they had been told, determined to go to Bethlehem to this thing that had happened. It is unlikely that all the shepherds would have left the sheep, but instead, that some would have stayed to guard them, while the others went to see this thing which had happened.
The shepherds went quickly, no doubt with great excitement, and they found their way to Mary and Joseph, and the baby. Bethlehem was a small village and it is unlikely that many, if any other babies at all, were born that night; and surely, there was not but one newborn baby who was laid in a manger.
Although there is no recorded dialogue between the shepherds and Mary and Joseph, not must have been an amazing conversation as the shepherds recounted all the angel had said, and then the sudden appearance of a multitude of angels praising God and giving glory to Him for what He had done: sending His own Son who would be the Savior of the world.
Perhaps Joseph and Mary shared some of their own encounters with God’s angel and who was said to them? All we know is that after the shepherds found and looked upon Mary, Joseph, and the baby
(Luke 2:17),
“they made known the statement which had been told them”
(Luke 2:11),
“today in the city of David there has been born for you a Savior, who is Christ the Lord.”
It would seem that the shepherds went about with great excitement telling everyone the the long awaited Messiah, the Savior, had been born. God used these lowly shepherds as the first witnesses of Christ the Lord.
Luke 2:14 says,
“all who heard it wondered at the things which were told them by the shepherds.”
It is interesting that although the testimony of the shepherds seemed to cause people to be amazed and to wonder about what the shepherds were proclaiming; but there is no record in the Scriptures of anyone else finding their way to the place where baby Jesus was born; not would seem that no one else sought out the Savior who had been born, who is Christ the Lord.
Mary
(Luke 2:19),
“treasured all these things, pondering them in her heart.”
Mary deeply considered all that had been said and had been done considering the birth of God’s Son; God’s redemptive plan, purpose, and provision had sent the Savior to redeem all those who would trust in Him, believing Him to be the Savior!
God’s words through the apostle John speak volumes concerning this One born that night in Bethlehem, and those who believe in Him
(see 1John 2:12-14)…
12 I am writing to you, little children, because your sins have been forgiven you for His name’s sake.
13 I am writing to you, fathers, because you know Him who has been from the beginning. I am writing to you, young men, because you have overcome the evil one. I have written to you, children, because you know the Father.
14 I have written to you, fathers, because you know Him who has been from the beginning. I have written to you, young men, because you are strong, and the word of God abides in you, and you have overcome the evil one.
The Christians life, from the moment we are born-again into the family of God, is a continual growing in our knowledge of Christ.
As John MacArthur writes
(New Testament Commentary, Luke 1-5, page 164), “From being a spiritual child, who only knows God the Father and forgiver of sins, to being a spiritual young man, well grounded in biblical truth, to being a spiritual father, with a deep understanding of God’s person.”
We continue to grow in our knowledge of Christ and will never reach a place where we know all things or mature to the level of not needing to grow anymore, as we see in the life of Paul, the most expressive and aggressive proponent of Christ in the Bible, who continued to grow and desire
(Philippians 3:10),
“that I may know Him and the power of His resurrection and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death.”
The shepherds near Bethlehem that night had a marvelous and supernatural evening that would no doubt, forever change their lives. But by the end of that long night
(Luke 2:20),
they returned to their flock, “glorifying and praising God for all that they had heard and seen, just as had been told them.”
Read Luke 2:21-24…
21 And when eight days had passed, before His circumcision, His name was then called Jesus, the name given by the angel before He was conceived in the womb.
22 And when the days for their purification according to the law of Moses were completed, they brought Him up to Jerusalem to present Him to the Lord
23 (as it is written in the Law of the Lord, “EVERY firstborn MALE THAT OPENS THE WOMB SHALL BE CALLED HOLY TO THE LORD”),
24 and to offer a sacrifice according to what was said in the Law of the Lord, “A PAIR OF TURTLEDOVES OR TWO YOUNG PIGEONS.”
It has been eight days since the birth of Jesus, and according to the law of Moses, it is time for Him to be circumcised
(Genesis 17:9-14)
9 God said further to Abraham, “Now as for you, you shall keep My covenant, you and your descendants after you throughout their generations.
10 This is My covenant, which you shall keep, between Me and you and your descendants after you: every male among you shall be circumcised.
11 And you shall be circumcised in the flesh of your foreskin, and it shall be the sign of the covenant between Me and you.
12 And every male among you who is eight days old shall be circumcised throughout your generations, a servant who is born in the house or who is bought with money from any foreigner, who is not of your descendants.
13 A servant who is born in your house or who is bought with your money shall surely be circumcised; thus shall My covenant be in your flesh for an everlasting covenant.
14 But an uncircumcised male who is not circumcised in the flesh of his foreskin, that person shall be cut off from his people; he has broken My covenant.”
through which God set Israel apart from all the other nations in the world. Circumcision also provided the benefit of decreasing the possibility of bacteria being transferred from man to woman; it is a fact that Jewish women have lower rates of cervical cancer and other diseases, then do women in other cultures, and this is attributed to the fact that all Jewish husbands are circumcised.
The practice of naming a son on the day of his circumcision is not an Old Testament requirement, but had become common place, perhaps because Abram [exalted father] received his new name Abraham [father of a multitude] on the same day he was circumcised
(cf. Genesis 17:5,
5 “No longer shall your name be called Abram,
But your name shall be Abraham;
For I have made you the father of a multitude of nations.
Genesis 17:23),
23 Then Abraham took Ishmael his son, and all the servants who were born in his house and all who were bought with his money, every male among the men of Abraham’s household, and circumcised the flesh of their foreskin in the very same day, as God had said to him.
and God made a covenant with him (the Abrahamic covenant through circumcision) by which all of Israel was identified and set apart as the Nation of God.
Jesus’s name had been previously given to Mary
(Luke 1:31),
“And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall name Him Jesus,”
and also to Joseph
(Matthew 1:20-21),
“Behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, ‘Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary as your wife; for the Child who has been conceived in her is of the Holy Spirit. She will bear a Son; and you shall call His name Jesus, for He will save His people from their sins.’”
Jesus is the Greek equivalent of the Hebrew name Joshua, meaning "Yahweh saves,” or the “Lord’s Salvation”.
John 3:16,
“For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life.”
Romans 5:6-9,
“For while we were still helpless, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly. For one will hardly die for a righteous man; though perhaps for the good man someone would dare even to die. But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. Much more then, having now been justified by His blood, we shall be saved from the wrath of God through Him.”
Galatians 4:4-5,
“But when the fullness of the time came, God sent forth His Son, born of a woman, born under the Law, so that He might redeem those who were under the Law, that we might receive the adoption as sons.”
Isaiah foretold some wonderful names to be given to the Christ Child.
Isaiah 9:6c,
“And His name will be called Wonderful Counselor…”
This speaks of God's Supernatural Wisdom.
The New Testament records Jesus’ encounters with a variety of people; and that He always knew just what to say, for He spoke the words and wisdom of God.
Temple guards were sent to arrest Jesus
(John 7:46),
46 The officers answered, “Never has a man spoken the way this man speaks.”
but they returned to the Chief Priests without Him, saying, “No one ever spoke the way this man speaks."
Matthew 7:29,
“He was teaching them as one having authority, and not as their scribes.”
Only Jesus can make sense out of life's confusion and provide hope for eternity; and yet, most of the world turns to the counsel of psychiatrists, psychologists, philosophers, astrologers, and other so-called experts, instead of to God’s Word.
1Corinthians 2:14-16,
“But a natural man does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him; and he cannot understand them, because they are spiritually appraised. But he who is spiritual appraises all things, yet he himself is appraised by no one. For who has known the mind of the Lord, that he will instruct Him? But we have the mind of Christ.”
God the Father, God the Son, and God the Spirit, provide eternal, authoritative, sovereign, divine, and supernatural wisdom for all who believe.
Isaiah 9:6d,
“And His name will be called Mighty God…”
This speaks of God’s Sovereign Power and Strength for all of eternity.
Deuteronomy 10:17,
“For the Lord your God is the God of gods and the Lord of lords, the great, the mighty, and the awesome God who does not show partiality nor take a bribe.”
Revelation 1:8,
8 “I am the Alpha and the Omega,” says the Lord God, “who is and who was and who is to come, the Almighty.”
Revelation 1:17-18,
17 When I saw Him, I fell at His feet like a dead man. And He placed His right hand on me, saying, “Do not be afraid; I am the first and the last,
18 and the living One; and I was dead, and behold, I am alive forevermore, and I have the keys of death and of Hades.
God forgives sin, grants eternal life, answers prayer, heals broken hearts and bodies, defeats Satan, brings order to the chaos and purpose to the confusion in our lives; all this, while sustaining the universe and preparing eternity for those who belong to Him.
Isaiah 9:6e
“And His name will be called Eternal Father…”
This speaks of God’s Eternal and Intrinsic Nature as the Originator and Giver of Life.
Psalm 90:2,
“Before the mountains were born or You gave birth to the earth and the world, even from everlasting to everlasting, You are God.”
John 10:30, Jesus said,
“I and the Father are one.”
John 14:6-7,
“Jesus said, ‘I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father but through Me. If you had known Me, you would have known My Father also; from now on you know Him, and have seen Him.’”
Colossians 1:15-20,
“He [Jesus] is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. For by Him all things were created, both in the heavens and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things have been created through Him and for Him. He is before all things, and in Him all things hold together. He is also head of the body, the church; and He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, so that He Himself will come to have first place in everything. For it was the Father’s good pleasure for all the fullness to dwell in Him, and through Him to reconcile all things to Himself, having made peace through the blood of His cross; through Him, I say, whether things on earth or things in heaven.”
Jesus is God the Son, equal with God the Father (who is Immortal, Invisible, Eternal, and the Creator of all), and God the Holy Spirit (who is Immortal, Invisible, Eternal, and the Creator of all). Jesus Christ has made God the Father known to us.
John 1:1,
“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.”
John 1:14,
“And the Word became flesh, and dwelt among us, and we saw His glory, glory as of the only begotten from the Father, full of grace and truth.”
John 1:18,
“No one has seen God at any time; the only begotten God who is in the bosom of the Father, He has explained Him.”
Only true Christians (believers and followers of Jesus Christ, the One who was crucified, resurrected, and is coming again: that Jesus) can rightfully call God their Father, for it is only through belief in God’s Son that we can become God's children, forever!
Isaiah 9:6f,
“And His name will be called Prince of Peace…
This speaks of God’s removal of enmity, condemnation, conflict, chaos, confusion, anxiety, fear, and oppression, replacing these with God’s Perfect Peace. If you know Jesus, you have God’s Peace; if you don’t know Jesus, you don’t have God’s Peace!
Romans 5:1-2,
“Having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom also we have obtained our introduction by faith into this grace in which we stand; and we exult in hope of the glory of God.”
Except for the first few days of Creation, before the curse of sin came upon creation, there has not been peace on earth; but God continually provides Peace in the hearts of everyone who believes in Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior.
Jesus Christ is God’s greatest Gift to the world. He is not only the Reason for the Christmas Season, He is Christmas. As you celebrate this Christmas season, consider all that has been said in God’s Word about God’s Son. Christmas celebrates the good news that the Savior has indeed come to provide forgiveness for sins and eternal life to all who will believe in and follow Him.
No wonder Paul declares
(2Corinthians 9:15),
"Thanks be to God for His indescribable Gift!”
Pastor Mike
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