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Message for December 25th - Seven Names of Jesus in Matthew 1 and 2

This morning I was reading my Bible. I had finished Revelation and was starting again from Matthew. I was thinking about my Christmas ministry. What should I speak about? I was in familiar territory, Matthew 1 and 2, and I had spoken on parts of it in earlier years. I asked the Lord, Give me something fresh, Lord! After some time the Lord started revealing something new.

Do you know that there are seven names or titles for the Lord Jesus in those first two chapters of Matthew? These are the names: Son, Jesus, Immanuel, King of the Jews, Ruler [Shepherd], Young Child, Nazarene. There are over 200 names for the Lord Jesus in the Bible, but here in the beginning of the New Testament we have seven names.

She has bring forth a Son, 1.21. Isaiah says, The virgin shall conceive and bear a Son, 7.14. He is the Son, the Son of God and Son of Man, the Firstborn Son. In Matt 2.15b, we hear the words of Hosea, ‘Out of Egypt I called My Son’. Israel, nationally, was a son, Exod 4.22; but Christ was the greater Son. There is the thought of Sonship here. This is my Beloved Son, Matt 3. Bringing many sons to glory, Heb 2.

You shall call His name Jesus, 1.21. Jesus is His human name; speaks of His humanity. I Jesus are the words in Rev 22. You and I can identify with Jesus, who came in the flesh, who was a man, who lived on earth 2000 years ago. But Jesus means Saviour, for He will save His people from their sins. It was by the shedding of His precious blood that He saved us from our sins.

They shall call His name Immanuel, 1.23. Immanuel means, God with us. God dwelling with man. This is a wonderful thought. He came and dwelt with His own, the Jews, 2000 years ago. Today He dwells in my heart. Tomorrow we will dwell with Him in the heavenly city. The truth is, God is our dwelling-place, He is our home. Our hearts will never be at rest till we dwell with Him. He dwelt among us, and in the spirit He still dwells in us!

The magi called Him King of the Jews, 2.2 He was the Messiah the Jews were waiting for; but they did not know it. God opened the eyes of the magi, and they followed the star and came – to Bethlehem? No, they were ‘wise’ men; their human wisdom brought them to Herod in Jerusalem. They were responsible for the deaths of hundreds of children in the district of Bethlehem, 2.16. They were not wise men; they did not follow the star all the way. They lost the star in Jerusalem, but God in His mercy showed them the star again, 2.10. We need that light too! A heavenly, divine light.

King of the Jews. That was the title that they nailed to the cross. Matt 27.37. That was Pilate’s question, Matt 27.11. And yes, Jesus was a King, the King of kings. They crucified the King of the Jews.

Then we have a fifth title. In Micah 5.2, He is called a ‘Ruler who will shepherd My people Israel’. He is a leader who will govern; the government shall be open His shoulder. He is a Shepherd who goes before His flock. The Messiah is one who not only redeems, but also rules. The scepter shall not depart from Judah till Shiloh [Messiah] comes, Gen 49.10. When the Messiah comes, He will rule the world.

The sixth title is young Child. You find it so often in Matt 2. He is not a Babe in a manger; He is a Child in a house. Unto us a Child is born, unto us a Son is given. A little child, perhaps a year old. God reducing Himself to a Babe, a little Child. The amazing boldness of God! We cannot think of God as a young Child. He was in the arms of Mary. Oh, He was a Babe, a Child, a Youth, a Man. No one can say that God does not sympathize with me; He knows all our weaknesses and infirmities. He is not a faraway God; He was in a mother’s arms. God was willing to reduce Himself to that extent. He was totally dependent on His mother. Can you imagine God would do that?! And Mary, his mother, was not immaculate; she was just like us. With, perhaps, a purer and more loving heart. But she too had the failings of a woman and mother.

But I would like to draw your attention to the last title. He shall be called a Nazarene, 2.23. Why did He choose Nazareth? Could He not have stayed in a better city? Can anything good come out of Nazareth? It was a bad city; we know that the people of Nazareth wanted to kill Jesus! And yet, He chose to live in Nazareth. He is not Jesus of Bethlehem, or Jesus of Jerusalem, but Jesus of Nazareth. He was despised of men, and lived in a despised city. And yet today we can say, In the Name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth rise up and walk! There is power in that Name. Oh, you have to go through the shame and reproach of the cross to come into the power of God.

I will not say more. This is Jesus, Immanuel, King of Israel, Wonderful Saviour, Loving Shepherd, Almighty God, Christ our Lord.

Jericho - What led to the defeat at Ai

I've been writing about Jericho. Check out my blogs at http://procyon6x.blogspot.com and http://procyon7x.blogspot.com

Achan was attracted by the beautiful Babylonian garment. He hid it and the shekels of silver and the wedge of gold in the earth under his tent. One man, smitten by covetousness, brought about a shocking defeat at Ai. What a great responsibility lies on us children of God! How careful we must be regarding the things of Babylon, the things of this world, regarding money and riches. [You cannot serve God and Mammon.]

It is clear that the lust of the eyes is involved. The world has its own magnetic and gravitational attraction. The enemies of the cross set their minds on earthly things [Phil 3.18]. We have to set our minds on heavenly things [Col 3.2].

In the New Testament, we are warned about the world by our Lord Jesus, and by Paul, James and John. John is emphatic that the world or kosmos [worldly system] is a great danger to believers, and James declares that those who love the world are enemies of God, Jas 4.4. Our Lord Jesus prayed in His high-priestly prayer in John 17 to protect the disciples from the world. Paul talks of the spirit of the world, 1 Cor 2.12; the wisdom of the world, 1 Cor 3.19; and the 'fashion' of the world, 1 Cor 7.31. He goes further to mention worldly lusts, Tit 2.12. Peter points to the corruption in the world through lust, 2 Pet 1.4 and 2.20; James warns about the defilement of the world, Jas 1.27; while John elaborates in 1 John 2.15-16 about the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eye and the pride of life - pointing out that if anyone loves the world, the love of the Father [agape love] is not in him. They all declare that Satan is the god of this world, and the sinister force behind all the deceitful attractions of 'Babylon'.

How careful we must be about being drawn into the world. Remember Lot's wife, Luke 17.32. Remember Demas, 2 Tim 4.10. Many spiritual lives end in tragedy because of being drawn into the world. The world is our great enemy. Hence all those stern warnings of James and John, which unfortunately remain unheeded by the majority of evangelical Christians today.

Jericho - Healing of the Water by Elisha

I've written about Jericho in my blog, 'Promises', at http://procyon6x.blogspot.com
The subject relates to our overcoming the world. The background text is 2 Kings 2, the journey of Elijah and Elijah. Gilgal deals with the flesh, Bethel relates to idolatry, Jericho signifies the world. Through faith and the power of the cross, we have to deal with the flesh, with idolatry and with the world.

Jericho is very attractive, but we find that the water is bad and the land is unproductive, 2 Kings 2.19. The trees are bearing fruit, but the fruit are falling off before they become ripe. This is causing frustration. No wonder, Solomon calls all the attractions of the world as 'vanity of vanities'. The best things of the world can never satisfy the spirit. Jericho is under a curse, and Elisha deals with the situation with a 'new vessel' which contains 'salt'. The salt is thrown into the source of the water. The incorruptible salt speaks of Jesus Christ. We are 'new vessels' [new creations in Christ] can bring health and healing to this God-forsaken world, even as Jesus said, 'You are the salt of the world!'. Jesus Himself is the True Salt. Only the gospel of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ can bring salvation [healing] to this accursed world.

View from Japanese Pagoda, Darjeeling