Sermon  Dec. 31, 1997  Text:  Luke 2:21   "The Name of Salvation"



Once again we consider the concept of God's name, as we now celebrate this
evening the Naming of Jesus.  This is a festival connected with the
circumcision of Jesus.  It was God's command for the Israelites that they
circumcise their boys after eight days.  Jesus' birth is arbitrarily
assigned to December 25.  Eight days would be January 1, according to the
Jewish way of counting days.  So we remember Jesus' circumcision on January
1st, and at that time His name was given.

Jesus' name was a special choice.  It was communicated as the chosen name
for the child both to Joseph and to Mary by angels.  The angel Gabriel said
to Mary, as reported in Luke 1:31, "You will be with child and give birth
to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus."  Also, Joseph hears from
an angel these words, "She will give birth to a son and you are to give him
the name Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins."  Here we
start to see some of the value which is placed in names by God, the angels,
and the Jewish culture.  The child was to be named Jesus for a reason, that
is, because He would save His people from their sins.

Both Mary and Joseph were given the name of the child.  Joseph would most
likely have had the authority to determine the name of his child.  This
issue comes up in the naming of John the Baptist.  Elizabeth has the name
for the child, but the crew coming to circumcise the child would not accept
the name on her authority.  They appealed to Zechariah, who could not yet
speak.  Zechariah wrote, "His name is John," which was also an angel given,
divinely chosen name.

Today we have some couples who must work hard to agree on names for their
children.  She wants one name, and he another.  There is no established
authority.  In the case of Mary and Joseph, they must have been surprised
that both came up with the same name.  Do you suppose they both talked
about how that name had been given to them by angels?  What a wonderful
witness that would have been to the special nature of this child.  Anyway,
they agreed, his name is Jesus.

The meaning of the name is spelled out for Joseph in his angel visit.  The
name was chosen because He will save His people from their sins.  The child
was named Jesus because that reflected what He would do with His life;
actually His death.

The name Jesus is more common than many realize.  It really is the same
name as Joshua.  It was just a historical accident that caused us to
express these two names differently in English.  Hebrews 4:8 speaks of the
Old Testament leader Joshua.  Yet the name used here in the original Greek
of the New Testament is the same Yaysoos as used for our Savior in the rest
of the New Testament.  Jesus is the same as Joshua.  The name Joshua,
actually Yeshua in the Hebrew of the Old Testament, means "he saves," or
"God saves."  It comes from the verb Yesha, which means "to save."

I did a bit of World Wide Web research on the subject of Jesus' name.  I
found one page that tried to argue that Jesus Christ was actually Mexican,


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because there are lots of Mexicans named Jesus, but no Jews.  You can see
this argument doesn't really fly.  Sure, there are many Mexicans named
Hesus, but there are also many English-speaking men named Joshua.  It only
goes to show that the name of Jesus is widely used.

There is something different about the name Jesus as given to Joseph and
Mary's child.  They were given the name by angels, carrying out God's
orders.  And the name of Jesus really did fit what the newborn would do for
His people.  So, again, you see that God's name is a concept much larger
than just what we call Him.  It is not only the identifying word which we
associate with God.  Rather, it is His reputation, characteristics and
features.  Connected with the name of God is who God is and what He is
like.











































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The unfortunate state of humanity, however, is that whatever we touch gets
stained with sin.  This is true with God's name also.  God's name ought to
be upon our lips in prayer, praise and thanksgiving.  Instead of using
God's name in this positive way, it tends to be used by us in vain.  And if
we aren't using it in vain, the actors on TV and in movies and the world
around us sure are using it in vain.  Even if we do not misuse God's name
ourselves, are we not guilty of allowing it to be misused as we expose
ourselves, voluntarily, to others who do misuse it and as we tolerate such
misuse?  Sin stains our use of God's name.

For our benefit, however, one came to live a stainless life.  Jesus Christ
was perfectly obedient to God's law.  This is evidenced to the smallest
detail, and tonight we are reminded of the detail of circumcision.  God's
Son took on human flesh and blood and then placed Himself under the Law of
God.  He was obedient beginning with the requirement of circumcision.  That
obedience also resulted in His death on the cross.  The obedient life and
death of the one named Jesus did indeed save us.  He saved us from
punishment which our sins deserve.

William Barclay said: "It is no accident that our Lord was called by the
name Jesus. That name sums up the things which He came into the world to do
and which only He can do. He came to be the divine Rescuer who alone can
deliver men from the consequences and from the grip of sin; He came to be
the divine Physician who alone can bring healing to the bodies and souls of
men."

This name of Jesus is for us a special, holy name.  It is majestic in all
the earth, as the Psalm said, for it is the name of the Savior.  It is a
name above every name, because of the wonderful thing that the one with the
name has done for us.  Jesus' name is His reputation, and His reputation is
one who saves us.

























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At the coming Judgment, every knee will bow at the name of Jesus.  Every
knee in heaven, on earth and under the earth.  Some will bow in submission
as they are judged and sentenced to Hell.  Others, who hold the name of
Jesus as the name of their Savior, will bow in worship and awe before the
one who is their Savior.

Many today believe that there are multiple paths to heaven.  Religion,
teachings, and confession don't matter, they say.  Jesus is not the only
way to be saved, they teach.  These people are sadly mistaken, for God's
Word clearly teaches us that their is only one way to salvation and that is
through the one named Jesus.

So, let us praise that name.  We sang in our first hymn, "We praise,  O
Christ, your holy name."  Then our second hymn said, "Let songs of praise
your name adorn."  Let us praise the name by believing in the name.  Let us
remember the name that gives us justification and life.  Let us speak and
teach in the name of Jesus.  Let us call upon the name of Jesus.

Now, every time we use the name of Jesus, may we also remember the
reputation of God as our Savior.  May you remember the name as we move into
this new year.  Our third hymn tonight brings us into the year
appropriately remembering the name of Jesus and His reputation of giving
grace.  Perhaps you would like to open your hymnal to this hymn now, #183,
as we consider some of the words.

"Greet now the swiftly changing year, with joy and penitence sincere."  We
begin the year penitent over our sins of the last year and recognizing our
fallen state.  We also begin the year with joy over the salvation that is
ours.  Rejoicing and with thanksgiving, we embrace, grab a hold of, and
jump into the new year.  This year will be for us another year of grace.
Another year in which we will have the gifts of the Lord to hold and in
which He will grace us with more gifts.  The second verse reminds us to
"Remember now the Son of God and how He shed His infant blood."  There are
two meanings here of the infant blood.  Jesus began as an infant and then
grew, shedding His blood at adulthood on the cross for our sins.  Jesus
also literally shed His blood as an infant in circumcision as He lived
obediently under the law to be our sinless sacrifice.  In the third verse
we sing how "This Jesus came to end sin's war."  Sin was at war in us,
dragging us to destruction, were it not for Jesus.  Because of His
reputation, He now carries the name above all names, Jesus, "He saves,"
which He bore for us.  He saved the people of the world, including you and
me.  The fourth verse reminds us that God's grace and love are greater than
our needs for the coming year.  Indeed, Jesus has supplied our greatest
need for life and salvation.  The Lord will give us all good things in this
coming year.   Whether we are in want or prosperity, says the fifth verse,
we need fear nothing, for we are entering another year of grace.  We praise
God in the sixth verse and remember to turn to the name of the Lord to pray
in the seventh verse.

Psalm 124 expresses all we have said in a few words when it says, "Our help
is in the name of the Lord."  In the name of Jesus, "He saves," we find our
help.  This name was chosen by God and given through the angels to Joseph
and Mary to give to their newborn son.  That son was circumcised and named
Jesus, and went on to live a perfect life and die for our sins.  As we


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enter the new year, we remember our help, which comes in the name of Jesus
Christ.  Amen.

The peace of God, which passes all understanding, keep your hearts and
minds in Christ Jesus.



















































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