Lesson Seventeen

What's In A Name?

 

Introduction:

When I was a young girl I had the dubious privilege of going to school with a bounty of girls who had the same name as mine. There was: Linda Zalar, Linda Cook, Linda Cummings, Linda Sumners, Linda Allen, Linda Blay, etc. I just happened to be born in the year when the name Linda must have been at the top of the most popular list. And no matter how hard I tried, I could not convince my parents to let me change it to something exotic like Kimberly.... that was exotic in the 50's! Even if I could have come up with some unique way of spelling it, that would have helped. Alas, there are not too many ways you can spell Linda!

Your name is an intregal part of you... in many ways it defines who you are; sometimes it shapes how your personality develops; often, it causes people to make assumptions about you. Centuries ago, children were given names that denoted a certain trait, such as beauty, courage, or faithfulness. And in some cultures, a last name was taken to proclaim a man's occupation, i.e. Miller or Cook. A name is a thing of value... Robert E. Lee, though poor after the Civil War, refused a salary of $50,000 a year to let an insurance company use his name. He said that if his name was so valuable he must guard its integrity.

When the birth of Jesus was prophesied in the Old Testament, He was given several names long before He was born... names that would define who He was to be and all the facets that would encompass.

(Isaiah 9:6)

Do you think that God just randomly chose these names because of their poetic beauty... obviously, if you know anything at all about your Bible and the phenomenal way the Lord has prepared and preserved it for us, you know that He does nothing "randomly." No, He planned for His Son to embody the essence of every one of these names.

Let's examine them for a moment:

A. Wonderful -

[1]. This is what every parent thinks their child is... until they hit the teen years!!!

[2]. Why does God choose to name His Child Wonderful?

(a). (Matt. 21:15) - Because of the things He did. The New Testament is resplendent with the miracles performed by Jesus Christ. And without a doubt, those who were the recipients of His power would call Him Wonderful.

(b). Mark. 15:39 - Because of Who He is. The presence of Jesus even as He was dying on the cross gave testimony to the fact that He was God's own Son and deserving of the name Wonderful.

B. Counsellor -

[1]. This has to be the busiest occupation in America today. People pay large sums of money to be able to relate their most intimate thoughts to a perfect stranger. And giving advice can be dangerous. Socrates was a Greek philosopher who went around giving what he thought was good advice. They poisoned him! We need to be reminded that the most knowledgeable and caring counsellor is readily available.

[2]. Why does God choose to name His Child Counsellor?

(a). (Matt. 10:29-30) - Because of His knowledge. Who is better to give you counsel than the One who knows you so well that He even knows the number of hairs on your head? (Isa. 28:29) tells us that the Lord of Hosts is wonderful in counsel.

(b). (Matt. 9:36) - Because of His compassion. You may be able to find the most caring, empathetic person on the planet to listen to your problems and offer solutions, but there is only One who feels the compassion for you that Jesus Christ does. I am reminded of the occasion when Jesus gave time to a learned man named Nicodemus who chose to come to Him in the dark of night. Instead of berating Nicodemus for his cowardice, Jesus clearly and with love pointed him to the way of salvation.

C. Mighty God -

[1]. It is no coincidence that many cults negate the Trinity and take away the position of Jesus. What better way to undermine the authority of God's Son?

[2]. Why did God choose to name His child the Mighty God?

(a). (Jn. 10:27-30) - Because He is God. And this is not a hollow claim by a fraud for Jesus proved in His actions the power He possessed. We only need to recall the healing of the blind man, the taming of the sea, the feeding of the 5000 to convince us that this Man was deserving of the name "Mighty God."

(b). (Gen. 1:26) - Because He has existed from the beginning of time and prior to that. This Man that would speak so gently to the children, the One who would weep over a city is the same One who spoke creation into existence. How deserving He is of the name "Mighty God."

D. Everlasting Father -

[1]. This may be the name we understand in some small measure for most of us have known our earthly fathers or have some knowledge of what a father should be. I have been blessed with an unusually great father... one who quietly and faithfully fulfilled his role as Dad. A father represents security, stability, safety, but an earthly father has a beginning and an end. How much more is Jesus a Father to us because He not only provides that security, stability and safety, but He will never cease to be.

[2]. Why did God choose to name His son Everlasting Father?

(a). (Rev. 1:10-11) - Because He has no ending. Have you ever tried to contemplate the eternal, having no beginning and no ending? In some way there is a great deal of comfort in knowing that Jesus as God has always existed, confusing as it is!

(b). (Gal. 3:26) - Because we are His children. It is said that the Muslims have 99 names for the Supreme Being, but none resembles the intimacy of the Christian's "Our Father." The tender fatherly love of God for His children is only revealed in the Bible.

E. Prince of Peace -

[1]. We are certainly familiar with the title of Prince for we have been inundated beyond tolerance of the details of the life of the Prince of Wales; we are a little less familiar with the Prince of Monaco or the Prince of Spain, but they do exist and are considered royalty. But any earthly prince is the overseer of an earthly place, while Jesus is the Prince of an intangible dream... peace.

[2]. Why does God choose to name His son the Prince of Peace?

(a). (Acts 5:31) - Because a prince has authority. As the verse states, Jesus has the authority of God to forgive sins. And that is what makes Him unique above all others for He is willing to forgive what can send you to an eternity without Him.

(b). (Isa. 11:1-10) - Because He will rule over the coming Millennial Kingdom. In that thousand year reign, Jesus will truly assume His role as the Prince of Peace, and what a glorious time that will be. The dream of the ages, peace on earth, will come to pass, and the babe in the manger will be recognized as the Lord and Saviour of mankind. (Psa. 24:9-10) tells it best.
 

Conclusion:

So, in prophetic fashion, God named His Son hundreds of years before He was born and did so in the most descriptive fashion.

But the name for our Saviour which captivates us the most is found in (Matt. 1:21). Thanks be to God for His unspeakable gift.
 

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