Names of Jesus-Son

This advent season, we’ve been studying the names of Jesus: Jesus, Emmanuel, King, Shepherd and now Son.

Jesus is God the Son. God the Father, that’s Jesus’ dad!

Growing up, did you go around bragging about your dad? My dad is bigger than your dad. My dad is stronger. My dad is better. My dad is richer.

Did you do that? I did, kids in my neighbourhood did. My dad can beat up your dad. And we said it with such conviction, believing that if the two of us got into a fight, our dads would come out and fight for us. It’s ridiculous, totally. But that’s what we thought. And when you knew a kid’s dad was huge and strong, you didn’t mess with him as much.

Jesus has the ultimate dad. Look at how he lived. When do we see Jesus afraid? Is it when the people have gathered up stones so they can kill him? No, he walks out from among them. Is it when he’s on the lake during a terrible storm? Nope. Is it when he’s being beaten? The only time I can recall when Jesus was afraid is when he’s talking to his dad in the Garden of Gethsemane. He’s weeping, he’s fully aware of the coming crucifixion. He’s asking his father if there is any other way. It is not the cross, it is not the beating, it is not the pain that makes him pray the way he prays. It is the separation, the hell of being absent from his perfect, awesome, amazing father. He’d never ever, in all eternity experienced that. He’d always been with the father, and the father with him. But he came, he came to take on what we deserve, our punishment, total separation from God.

The world, as awful as the news agencies make it out to be, is not as bad as it could be because of the Father’s presence, because of God’s grace. We cannot imagine the horror Jesus experienced, the horror we deserve. But that is precisely why Jesus was born all those years ago.

Now, this morning, I don’t want to focus so much on that, though we have to be reminded of those things. No, I want us to focus on the reality of Jesus as God’s Son, and the promise the Father made to him, that got him through his life, death and resurrection.

It is shown to us in Hebrews 12:2, “Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.” This passage explains joy. Joy is not happiness. Happiness is the feeling you have when things are going well, you’re happy and content. But as soon as something bad happens, boom, happiness is gone. Joy is different. Joy doesn’t depend on circumstances. Joy isn’t something you feel or manufacture. Joy is something promised, received, anticipated.

How did Jesus endure the cross? He did it by focusing his attention on the promise: being with his Father again. He did it by anticipating being fully enveloped in the Father’s perfect love, the Spirit’s perfect presence and power.

So what is our joy? Our joy is being with God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit. We have the Holy Spirit, now with us, Emmanuel, God with us. We have the Spirit of Christ in us. But his presence isn’t perfect. It isn’t complete. We can ignore it, walk away from it, desire stuff other than God.

But one day, and this is pure joy: one day we will be with God. We will be in perfect harmony with God. It will be so good and great that we can’t even really imagine it!

That’s what Jesus knew. He knew the agony of the cross, which, by the way was far worse than we can imagine, Jesus knew that the agony of that moment was just that, a moment. It would fade and pale in comparison to the joy and delight, the incredible awesomeness of being with God the Father.

Think about your life right now. Think about the pain, the sorrow, the suffering. Think about the best of what you’ve experienced in life so far. Now, try to compare that stuff to what you’ll have after centuries in heaven? How will it compare? It won’t at all.

Now, to help us try to understand, look at Jesus. How did he experience life on earth? No fear. Why? The whole time Jesus is walking around thinking, “I made this. This is mine. This obeys me. The Spirit is in me, I have the power. I can do anything. Storm, be silent, be still.” And it was. “Death, give up your dead, Lazarus, come out.” Demon, get outta here.” Water, support me, I’m going to walk across this lake.

Jesus made it. The creation recognised its creator. It responded, it obeyed. Amazing, isn’t it, the water, the storm, the demons: the most powerful forces that we experience in this life immediately, completely submitted to Christ. God’s own people? Not so much.

This book is like God’s brag book. Have you ever seen one of those coffee table books that kids sometimes give their parents? It’ll say something like, “Grandma’s brag book.” In it are all the pictures of their grandchildren. Grandparents love bragging about their grandchildren. They’re proud of them.

The Bible is God the Father’s brag book. It is all about Jesus, God’s son. He’s written on every page. My Son will crush the serpent’s head, and the serpent will only bruise his heel. My Son will restore all creation. My Son will come out of Egypt, he will set all my people free from sin, bondage to sin. Then in the New Testament, God keeps bragging. This is what my Son did. This is what he accomplished. This was his moment. But the story’s not over yet. He’s coming back. He’ll make everything perfectly right and good. He’s coming back, but not in a manger. He’s coming back on a war horse. He’s coming with an iron scepter, to rule in perfect justice and righteousness.

There’s a little extra bragging that goes on in this book, a bit that is due to Jesus’ work. The bragging is about God’s people. All people are created in God’s image. But some have rejected that idea, and have come up with ideas of their own. But to those who understand. To those who humble themselves, who realise who God is, and who they are, as God’s creatures, they become something new.

In the Old Testament, God’s people are described as his, people, his wife, his bride, his nation. In the New Testament, he calls them, his friends, his children, his sons and daughters. In Romans 8:14-17 we read, “Those who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God. For you did not receive a spirit that makes you a slave again to fear, but you received the Spirit of sonship. And by him we cry, ‘Abba, Father.’ The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are God’s children. Now if we are children, then we are heirs—heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ, if indeed we share in his sufferings in order that we may also share in his glory.”

Have you trusted Jesus Christ? Have you given your life to him? Have you surrendered your life?

There’s a story of a man who was in desperate need. His circumstances are not important, he could have been any one of us. There was only one person who could help him, the President of the United States. He made his way toWashington. He knew he needed an appointment, and that even to tour the President’s house was a half-year wait. He took a gamble and went up to the gates and asked, begged, pleaded to see the president. But nothing.

He went a little way away and wept. A boy, came up to him as he was weeping, laying out his heart. The boy touched him and asked, “Sir, why are you so sad?”

The man explained what was going on to the boy. He didn’t think anything would be gained by it, but he needed to share. The boy looked at him and said, “Your right, there is only one solution. Come with me.”

He reached out his hand, and helped the man to his feet. He took the man by the hand and started walking. The man was bewildered. But so desperate, that he followed along, in a daze.

The boy walked right up to the gates, and without saying anything, they opened for him. He walked right up to the White House and into the front door. He walked right past all the security, right to the Oval office door. He knocked and then entered, taking the man with him.

He walked right up to the President of the United States and said, “Dad, this guy needs to tell you something.”

Beloved people of God. Jesus is that boy. Whatever is troubling you, whatever struggles you have, whatever fears, doubts, cares concerns, loneliness, sorrow, pain or loss, Jesus, today, Jesus takes you by the hand, he leads you to his Father and says, “Dad, this person needs you.”

Will you accept? Will you go with Jesus?

Will you go looking for others who need him? Will you bring others to Jesus, so he can take them to your Heavenly Father?

Are you afraid? Are you concerned? You’re a son, a co-heir with Christ. Do not be afraid. Yes, you’ll suffer in this life. But the joy, the hope, the deep abiding, never ending happiness is being with Christ. Don’t just live for today, for tomorrow. Be focussed on the future, no, not five years, 50 years, focus on ten thousand years from now. Whatever is going on now, no matter how crazy important it is, in comparison to being with God forever, it is nothing. Amen.