HIS NAME

SCRIPTURE:  READ  Matthew 1:18 - 25 and Luke 1:26 - 35

*Matthew 1:21 “And she shall bring forth a son, and thou shalt call his name JESUS:  for he shall save his people from their             sins.”

Luke 1:31 “And, behold, thou shalt conceive in thy womb, and bring forth a son, and shalt call his name JESUS.”

Luke 2:21 “And when eight days were accomplished for the circumcising of the child, his name was called JESUS, which             was so named of the angel before he was conceived in the womb.”

 

I.  INTRODUCTION

            A.  The Birth Of Jesus Christ

                        1.  On this wise = In this manner

                        2.  His Mother Mary

                                    Luke 1:28 “And the angel [Gabriel] came in unto her, and said, Hail, thou that art highly favored, the                                                 Lord is with thee: blessed art thou among women.”

            B.  Mary

                        1.  Espoused = Betrothed, or engaged to be married.

                                    a.  By contract.

                                    b.  Required a divorce to break the contract.

                                    c.  There was commonly an interval of ten or twelve months, among the Jews, between the contract of                                                 marriage and the celebration of the nuptials. 

                                                This time was to allow them to get to know one another without a sexual relationship.

                        2.  Found with Child

                                    a.  How could this be seeing that she was a virgin?

                                                Luke 1:34 “Then said Mary unto the angel, How shall this be, seeing I know not a man?”

                                    b.  Of the Holy Ghost

                                                Luke 1:35 “And the angel answered and said unto her, The Holy Ghost shall come upon thee,                                                             and the power of the Highest shall overshadow thee: therefore also that holy thing                                                             which shall be born of thee shall be called the Son of God.”

                                                Genesis 1:2 “And the earth was without form, and void; and darkness was upon the face of                                                             the deep. And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters.”

 

                                    c.  Prophesied over 700 years earlier.

                                                Isaiah 7:14 “Therefore the Lord himself shall give you a sign; Behold, a virgin shall conceive,                                                 and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel.”        

            C.  Joseph

                        1.  Mary’s husband (v. 19)--> The word in the original does not imply that they were married. It means here                                     the man to whom she was espoused.

                        2.  A just man --> Justice consists in rendering to every man his own. Yet this is evidently not the character                                     intended to be given here of Joseph. The meaning is that he was kind, tender, merciful; that he was so                                     attached to Mary that he was not willing that she should be exposed to public shame.   Albert Barnes’

                        3.  Considered putting her away?

                                    a.  Privily

                                                He sought, therefore, secretly to dissolve the connection, and to restore her to her friends                                                             without the punishment commonly inflicted on adultery.  Barnes’ Notes

 

                                    b.  Punishment for adultery --> public stoning

                                    c.  The law of Moses gave the husband the power of divorce, Deuteronomy 24:1. It was customary in a bill of divorce to specify the causes for which the divorce was made, and witnesses were also present to testify to the divorce. But in this case, it seems, Joseph resolved to put her away WITHOUT specifying the cause; for he was not willing to make her a public example. This is the meaning here of “privily.”  Both to Joseph and Mary this must have been a great trial. Joseph was ardently attached to her, but her character was likely to be ruined, and he deemed it proper to separate her from him. Mary was innocent, but Joseph was not yet satisfied of her innocence. We may learn from this to put our trust in God. He will defend the innocent. Mary was in danger of being exposed to shame. Had she been connected with a cruel, passionate, and violent man, she would have died in disgrace. But God had so ordered it that she was betrothed to a man mild, amiable, and tender: and in due time Joseph was apprised of the truth in the case, and took his faithful and beloved wife to his bosom.  Barnes’ Notes

 

                        4.  He thought on these things.

                                    a.  He did not act hastily. He did not take the course which the law would have permitted him to do, if                                                 he had been hasty, violent, or unjust. It was a case deeply affecting his happiness, his                                                     character, and the reputation and character of his chosen companion. God will guide the                                                 thoughtful and the anxious.  Barnes’ Notes

 

                                    b.  An angel of the Lord appeared.

                                                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.”

 

                                                Fear not --> Do not hesitate, or have any apprehensions about her virtue and purity. Do not                                                             fear that she will be unworthy of you, or will disgrace you.  Barnes’ Notes

II.  HIS NAME

            A.  Jesus

                        Matt. 1:21 “And she shall bring forth a son, and thou shalt call his name JESUS:”

 

                        1.  Jesus. Joshua. The names are the same, both signifying Savior.

                        2.  JESUS = “Jehovah salvation;” for “He Himself (autos, not merely like Joshua He is God’s instrument to                                     save) saves His people from their sins” Fausset’s Bible Dictionary

                        3.  His name JESUS -->

                                    a.  It was a very common name among the Jews.

                                    b.  The name Jesus is the same as Saviour.

                                    c.  It is derived from the verb signifying to save, In Hebrew it is the same as Joshua.

                                    d.  In two places in the New Testament it is used where it means Joshua, the leader of the Jews into                                                 Canaan, and in our translation the name Joshua should have been retained:

                                                (1)  Acts 7:45 “Which also our fathers that came after brought in with Jesus into the                                                                   possession of the Gentiles, whom God drave out before the face of our fathers, unto                                                             the days of David;”

                                                (2) Hebrews 4:8 “For if Jesus [Joshua] had given them rest, then would he not afterward have                                                             spoken of another day.”

 

                        4.  The word “Jesus” signifies the Savior, who is called Swthr by the Greeks. But “to save” is to render a man secure from evils, either by taking care that they do not assail him, or, if they have attacked him, by removing them, and of consequence by conferring the opposite blessings. But among the evils, two are of the very worst description: they are sin, and its wages, eternal death. Among the blessings also, two are of the greatest importance, righteousness and eternal life. He, therefore, is a savior in an eminent degree who liberates men from sin and death eternal, the two greatest evils with which they are now surrounded and oppressed; and who confers upon them righteousness and life. On account of this method of saving, the name Jesus agrees well with this our Savior, according to the interpretation of it, which the angel gave in Matthew 1:21. For such a method of salvation was highly befitting the excellence of this exalted person, who is the proper, natural and only-begotten Son of God; The Works of James Arminius

           

                                    Every time Mary called for Jesus, she was saying, “God Saves!!!”

 

            B.  Emmanuel

                        a. Matt. 1:23 “Behold, a virgin shall be with child, and shall bring forth a son, and they shall call his name                                     Emmanuel, which being interpreted is, God with us.”

                        b.  Isaiah 7:14 “Therefore the Lord himself shall give you a sign; Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a                                     son, and shall call his name Immanuel.”           

                        c.  Immanuel = “God with us” declares His Godhead.

 

III.  HE SHALL SAVE

            A.  Thou shalt call his name Jesus.

                        1.  Matthew 1:21 “And she shall bring forth a son, and thou shalt call his name JESUS:

                                    for he shall save his people from their sins.”

                        2.  He shall save --> He does not try to save, He does it.  Smith & Lee

                                    This expresses the same as the name, and on this account the name was given to him.

 

                        Luke 24:47 “And that repentance and remission of sins should be preached in his name among all nations,

                                    beginning at Jerusalem.”

 

            B.  Saving His People

                        1.  His people Those whom the Father has given to him.

                                    a.  The Jews were called the people of God because he had chosen them to himself, and regarded                                                 them as His special and beloved people, separate from all the nations of the earth.

           

                                    John 1:11 “He came unto his own, and his own received him not.  John 1:12 But as many as received                                     him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name:”

 

                                    b.  Matthew 12:21 “And in his name shall the Gentiles trust.”

                                                Christians are called the people of Christ because it was the purpose of the Father to give                                                             them to him (Isaiah 53:11; John 6:37); and because in due time he came to redeem                                                             them to himself, Titus 2:14; 1 Peter 1:2.

 

                        2.  He saves people:

                                    a.  by dying to redeem them;

                                    b.  by giving the Holy Spirit to renew them (John 16:7,8);

                                    c.  by His power in enabling them to overcome their spiritual enemies,

                                    d.  in defending them from danger,

                                    e.  in guiding them in the path of duty,

                                    f.  in sustaining them in trials and in death;

                                    g.  and He will raise them up at the last day, and exalt them to a world of purity and love.

 

                        John 20:31 “But these are written, that ye might believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that                                     believing ye might have life through his name.”

 

            C.  From their sins

                        This was the great business of Jesus in coming and dying.  It was not to save people IN their sins, but                         FROM their sins. Sinners could not be happy in heaven. It would be a place of wretchedness to the guilty.                          The design of Jesus was, therefore, to save them from sin; and from this we may learn:

 

                        1. That Jesus had a design in coming into the world. He came to save his people; and that design will surely be                                     accomplished. It is impossible that in any part of it he should fail.

 

                        Acts 10:43 “To him give all the prophets witness, that through his name whosoever believeth in him shall                                     receive remission of sins.”

 

                        2. We have no evidence that we are his people unless we are saved from the power and dominion of sin. A                                     mere profession of being His people will not answer. Unless we give up our sins; unless we renounce                                     the pride, pomp, and pleasure of the world, we have no evidence that we are the children of God. It is                                     impossible that we should be Christians if we indulge in sin and live in the practice of any known                                     iniquity. See 1 John 3:7,8.

 

                        3. That all professing Christians should feel that there is no salvation unless it is from sin, and that they can                                     never be admitted to a holy heaven hereafter unless they are made pure, by the blood of Jesus, here.

 

                                    I John 2:12 “I write unto you, little children, because your sins are forgiven you for his name’s sake.”

 

IV.  NO OTHER NAME

            A.  Offers Salvation

                        1.  Acts 4:12 “Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among                                     men, whereby we must be saved.”

                   2.  Neither is there salvation The word “salvation” properly denotes any “preservation,” or keeping anything                                     in a “safe” state; a preserving from harm. It signifies, also, deliverance from any evil of body or mind;                                     from pain, sickness, danger, etc.,  Barnes’ Notes

 

            B.  Deserves Our Praise          

                        Hebrews 13:15 “By him therefore let us offer the sacrifice of praise to God continually, that is, the fruit of our                                     lips giving thanks to his name.”

 

                        There is no other name; there is no other way!

 

V.  ABOVE EVERY NAME

            A.  God hath highly exalted Him --> A name of authority.

 

                        Philippians 2:9 “Wherefore God also hath highly exalted him, and given him a name which is above every                                     name:  2:10 That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in                                     earth, and things under the earth;  2:11 And that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord,                                     to the glory of God the Father.”

 

            B.  The Word of God

                        Revelations 19:13 “And he was clothed with a vesture dipped in blood: and his name is called The Word of                                     God.”

 

            C.  Ownership

                        Revelations 22:4 “And they shall see his face; and his name shall be in their foreheads.”

 

VI.  LET US REJOICE

            Isaiah 9:6 “For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his                         name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace.”