Calling of the name of Jesus

Calling on the name of Jesus

And God was doing extraordinary miracles by the hands of Paul, 12 so that even handkerchiefs or aprons that had touched his skin were carried away to the sick, and their diseases left them and the evil spirits came out of them. 13 Then some of the itinerant Jewish exorcists undertook to invoke the name of the Lord Jesus over those who had evil spirits, saying, "I adjure you by the Jesus whom Paul proclaims." 14 Seven sons of a Jewish high priest named Sceva were doing this. 15 But the evil spirit answered them, "Jesus I know, and Paul I recognize, but who are you?" 16 And the man in whom was the evil spirit leaped on them, mastered all of them and overpowered them, so that they fled out of that house naked and wounded. 17 And this became known to all the residents of Ephesus, both Jews and Greeks. And fear fell upon them all, and the name of the Lord Jesus was extolled.18 Also many of those who were now believers came, confessing and divulging their practices.19 And a number of those who had practiced magic arts brought their books together and burned them in the sight of all. 20 And they counted the value of them and found it came to fifty thousand pieces of silver. So the word of the Lord continued to increase and prevail mightily.

11 And God was doing extraordinary miracles by the hands of Paul,

12 so that even handkerchiefs or aprons that had touched his skin were carried away to the sick, and their diseases left them and the evil spirits came out of them. 13 Then some of the itinerant Jewish exorcists undertook to invoke the name of the Lord Jesus over those who had evil spirits, saying, "I adjure you by the Jesus whom Paul proclaims."

14 Seven sons of a Jewish high priest named Sceva were doing this. 15 But the evil spirit answered them, "Jesus I know, and Paul I recognize, but who are you?" 16 And the man in whom was the evil spirit leaped on them, mastered all of them and overpowered them, so that they fled out of that house naked and wounded. 17 And this became known to all the residents of Ephesus, both Jews and Greeks. And fear fell upon them all, and the name of the Lord Jesus was extolled.18 Also many of those who were now believers came, confessing and divulging their practices.19 And a number of those who had practiced magic arts brought their books together and burned them in the sight of all. 20 And they counted the value of them and found it came to fifty thousand pieces of silver. So the word of the Lord continued to increase and prevail mightily.

15 But the evil spirit answered them, "Jesus I know, and Paul I recognize, but who are you?" 16 And the man in whom was the evil spirit leaped on them, mastered all of them and overpowered them, so that they fled out of that house naked and wounded. 17 And this became known to all the residents of Ephesus, both Jews and Greeks. And fear fell upon them all, and the name of the Lord Jesus was extolled.18 Also many of those who were now believers came, confessing and divulging their practices.19 And a number of those who had practiced magic arts brought their books together and burned them in the sight of all. 20 And they counted the value of them and found it came to fifty thousand pieces of silver. So the word of the Lord continued to increase and prevail mightily.

This passage asks the timeless question concerning calling on the name of Jesus. At the name of Jesus, every knee shall, bow and every tongue confess, in heaven, on earth and under the earth and proclaim that He is Lord!

So I ask you this morning is there power in the name of Jesus?

The answer is yes!!!

All the power attributed to the name of Jesus originates in the Person of Jesus. When we “believe in Jesus’ name,” we are trusting in the finished work of the risen Christ on the cross and we believe that He hears us when we pray. , says this, ‘And if we know that he hears us in whatever we ask, we know that we have the requests that we have asked of him.’

‘And if we know that he hears us in whatever we ask, we know that we have the requests that we have asked of him.’

Jesus is not a magic word, but it is a meaningful word.

There is nothing special about the arrangement of the letters in His name. Had Jesus not been God in the flesh that lived a perfect life, which died for the sins of all who would believe, and rose again for the death, we wouldn’t even be talking about His name. All power that Christians access through the name of Jesus comes from their true faith in who Jesus is and what He does for sinners.

There is no magical power in the name of Jesus—there is only power in Jesus Christ, Himself. By simply calling out the name of “Jesus,” one cannot expect a special power, an alter outcome, or better standing with God. Yet, the name of Jesus is precious, however, and brimming with meaning. ‘And you shall call his name Jesus,’ the angel told Joseph, ‘for he will save his people from their sins’ ().

Jesus is more than a great teacher, more than an enlightened man, more than a worker of miracles, more than a source of meaning in life, more than a self-help guru, more than a self-esteem builder, more than a political liberator, more than a caring friend, more than a transformer of cultures, more than a purpose for the purpose driven He, Jesus is the Savior of sinners.

All acts of saving, healing, protecting, justifying, or the redeeming power of God resides in the Person of Christ, and Jesus is His name.

So I ask, how has our omniscient, omnipresent, omnipotent Creator of the universe choose to wield His power? God has chosen to wield through His Son Jesus and in His name.

Jesus was born in humble circumstances—a Babe with all the power of the King. Jesus laid down His life to save sinners, and He exercised His authority to raise it up again, He said no one takes my life, but I lay it down, because I can pick it up again. So when we call on His name in faith can receive forgiveness of sins and salvation for all eternity. Everyone who calls on the name of Jesus will be saved. That is the resurrection power of the Savior—He alone is the force behind His name.

It is in Jesus’ name that God instructs us to pray

, ‘In that day you will ask nothing of me. Truly, truly, I say to you, whatever you ask of the Father in my name, he will give it you. Until now you have asked nothing in my name. Ask and you will receive, that you joy may be full.

Believers are invited to pray in Jesus’ name with an expectation that God answers prayers endorsed by Jesus’ name.

Praying in Jesus’ name means praying with His authority and asking God the Father to act upon our prayers because we come by faith in the name of His Son, Jesus. Praying in Jesus’ name demonstrates our faith in God’s power to act when we believe. Praying in Jesus’ name is more than just a grouping words together but it is a representation of ours faith in who He actually is.

The only thing that sets apart the name of Jesus of Nazareth is the Person it belongs to and what He did for us. In Jesus Christ “all the fullness of the Deity lives in bodily form” (). In Jesus Christ is “the radiance of God’s glory and the exact representation of his being” (). In Jesus Christ all things become new and glorious!

But where there is no faith, no relationship, or no submission to His lordship, the name Jesus is nothing but a word.

We are wise to guard ourselves from the temptation to misuse the name of Jesus. This morning we are going to look a story in our Bibles that tells an intriguing story of a group of seven Jews in Ephesus who attempted to cast out demons using the name of Jesus.

These men did not know Jesus. They were not believers and they did not have faith in Him. But instead they sought the admiration of others, they sought the applause of others, and they sought the attention of others. They sought an opportunity to make names for themselves instead of lifting up the name of Jesus.

It is in the name of Jesus, the one who saves His people from their sins; any servant gathers and is given the power of the mighty Creator Himself. It is in the name of Jesus, who gives believers the authority to serve, work, and pray in His name, when we do so believing in Jesus’ saving power and desiring to do God’s will. Jesus, with the authority of the Father, exercised power to save sinners, and His name is the only name we can call on for salvation.

Paul will teach us three things in this passage this morning about calling of the name of Jesus. (1) When we call on the name of Jesus it brings recovery to the sick. (2) When we call of the name of Jesus it brings rebuke to the unsaved. (3) When we call of the name of Jesus it brings repentance to the saved.

When we call on the name of Jesus, we participate in His power and find that “the name of the LORD is a fortified tower; the righteous run to it and are safe” ().

Like many truths of the Bible, we can and will attempt to misuse and thwart what is good for our own gain—but our God cannot be deceived. We only encounter God’s holy power when we place our faith in Jesus Christ.

Let us pray...

When we call on the name of Jesus it brings recovery to the sick

The mighty works God accomplished through Paul in Ephesus were ‘extraordinary’, and in certain respects they parallell those attributed to Jesus and Peter. Paul’s preaching about the kingdom of God further illustrates the way God’s power was at work throughout his ministry.

And God was doing extraordinary miracles by the hands of Paul, 12 so that even handkerchiefs or aprons that had touched his skin were carried away to the sick, and their diseases left them and the evil spirits came out of them.

God did extraordinary miracles through Paul and when he called on Jesus name it brought recovery. So much so that even handkerchiefs and aprons that had touched him were taken to those who were ill, and their illnesses were cured ‘removed’ and the evil spirits left them.

The words here translated handkerchiefs and aprons, are most likely items connected with Paul’s work as a tentmaker, items which had made contact with his skin. They were sought after because of the widespread ancient belief that the bodies of particular people, or whatever touched them, had healing power. There is a parallel here with Jesus’ ministry in , And he came down with them and stood on a level place, with a great crowd of his disciples and a great multitude of people from all Judea and Jerusalem and the seacoast of Tyre and Sidon,18 who came to hear him and to be healed of their diseases. And those who were troubled with unclean spirits were cured.19 And all the crowd sought to touch him, for power came out from him and healed them all.

We see this again in , ‘ And again in 18 While he was saying these things to them, behold, a ruler came in and knelt before him, saying, "My daughter has just died, but come and lay your hand on her, and she will live."19 And Jesus rose and followed him, with his disciples. 20 And behold, a woman who had suffered from a discharge of blood for twelve years came up behind him and touched the fringe of his garment, 21 for she said to herself, "If I only touch his garment, I will be made well." 22 Jesus turned, and seeing her he said, "Take heart, daughter; your faith has made you well." And instantly the woman was made well.’

Tannehill, suggests that ‘healing through touching Jesus is now being extended to Paul with the understanding that His only source of power is the risen Savior. The power found at Ephesus is comparable to the power found in Peter at Jerusalem, the power that temporarily resides in the servant but the power that eternally resides and comes direct from the Savior.

At first glance, this appears to be some type of ‘magical’ activity, but God’s sovereign role in the process is its sacred source.

God constantly and continuously healed people in this way, He graciously accommodated human beliefs and expectations, to encourage them to draw near and discover what His messengers were was proclaiming to them. Paul was such a messenger but he did not promote himself as a miracle worker, as did Simon Magus or as the itinerant Jewish exorcists who are soon to be mentioned.

But Paul it was humble understanding that God gives grace to the humble and despises the proud. This was not a manipulative human process, designed to capture attention or to win disciples.

Luke’s purpose here is to draw attention to the unique role and status of Paul in God’s purposes, and to help his followers to differentiate this activity from the captivating, confusing, and misleading magical tricks of Ephesus. Even on our day we must be on guard against those who seek to distract us with name it and claim it schemes, which serve as today’s magical tricks that mislead people away from the true gospel.

But we see here that Paul’s apparent success at healing and exorcism prompted imitation, but this time imitation is not the greatest form of flattery.

The text in vv.13-14, tells us that ‘then some of the itinerant Jewish exorcists undertook to invoke the name of the Lord Jesus over those who had evil spirits, saying, “I adjure you by the Jesus whom Paul proclaims.” Seven sons of a Jewish high priest named Sceva were doing this.’

These itinerant Jewish exorcists, who were fascinated by Paul’s power and influence, assuming that the secret to his power was the name of Jesus; not understanding that the source of his power was the name of Jesus, because he belong to Jesus. Paul knew Jesus but they did not know Jesus, their activity was fraudulent at best but Paul’s activity was based on faith in Jesus. You cannot invoke Jesus when you have never surrendered to Jesus. You cannot imitate or emulate the efforts of those who know Jesus if you, yourself have never accept Jesus by faith alone.

The implication is here is that the name of Jesus is only effective to deliver and to heal only when used by those who eternally know Him and efficaciously called upon Jesus as Lord. But, these people were pretenders, these people did not have the appropriate moral or spiritual integrity within them, and these people were posers who were trying to engage the powers of evil through a ploy. Luke further emphasizes the incongruity of the situation, the inconsistency of the situation, and the impossibility of the situation by revealing that seven sons of Sceva, a Jewish chief priest, were doing this.

There is no Sceva in the list of Jewish high priests available to us. However, the word chief priest (archiereus) is regularly used in the plural in Luke’s Gospel apparently denoting ‘members of the Jewish priestly aristocracy, others relating to the priests and the Temple.

So Sceva could have been part of this wider high-priestly group.

But His sons were far from being Christian, far from being converts, far from calling Jesus their Savior and Lord. They were both physically and spiritually, caught in the magical worldview of this Gentile city, Ephesus. Ephesus was very hospitable to magicians, sorcerers, and many forms of religious syncretism. But our God is very inhospitable to magicians, sorcerers, and all forms of religious syncretism. God was then and God is now.

Once in again in the book of Acts here is a scenario that pits miracles from (Paul) against magic from other people (sons of Sceva).

This is the first reference to demonic spirits since the story,

, As we were going to the place of prayer, we were met by a slave girl who had a spirit of divination and brought her owners much gain by fortune-telling.17 She followed Paul and us, crying out, "These men are servants of the Most High God, who proclaim to you the way of salvation."18 And this she kept doing for many days. Paul, having become greatly annoyed, turned and said to the spirit, "I command you in the name of Jesus Christ to come out of her." And it came out that very hour.’

Furthermore, just as the possessed girl in chapter 16 is shown negatively despite her positive words about the missionaries (‘servants of the Most High God’), but the sons of Sceva are portrayed unfavorably even though they acknowledge the high status of ‘the Jesus whom Paul proclaims’. God does accept or acknowledge honor from those who are not believers. Nor does He respond to them when they call.

(2)When you call of the name of Jesus it brings rebuke to the unsaved.

Luke now records a specific event in the experience of the sons of Sceva. They entered a house and attempted to exorcise a single spirit from a possessed man even though they do not posses Christ, and things go very badly. Now the text tells us that not only did they not know Jesus, v.v. 15-16, but even the evil spirits recognize did not know them. ‘But the evil spirit answered them, “Jesus I know, and Paul I recognize, but who are you?” And the man in whom was the evil spirit leaped on them, mastered all of them and overpowered them, so that they fled out of that house naked and wounded.’

All throughout Holy Scripture it is shown that demons and evil spirits immediately recognize Jesus. , ‘And when he came to the other side, to the country of the Gadarenes, two demon-possessed men met him, coming out of the tombs, so fierce that no one could pass that way. 29 And behold, they cried out, "What have you to do with us, O Son of God? Have you come here to torment us before the time?" 30 Now a herd of many pigs was feeding at some distance from them. 31 And the demons begged him, saying, "If you cast us out, send us away into the herd of pigs." 32 And he said to them, "Go." So they came out and went into the pigs, and behold, the whole herd rushed down the steep bank into the sea and drowned in the waters. 33 The herdsmen fled, and going into the city they told everything, especially what had happened to the demon-possessed men. 34 And behold, all the city came out to meet Jesus, and when they saw him, they begged him to leave their region.’

30 Now a herd of many pigs was feeding at some distance from them.

31 And the demons begged him, saying, "If you cast us out, send us away into the herd of pigs." 32 And he said to them, "Go." So they came out and went into the pigs, and behold, the whole herd rushed down the steep bank into the sea and drowned in the waters. 33 The herdsmen fled, and going into the city they told everything, especially what had happened to the demon-possessed men. 34 And behold, all the city came out to meet Jesus, and when they saw him, they begged him to leave their region.’

Now on this occasion, the evil spirit speaking through the possessed man revealed their pretense and saying, ‘Jesus I know, and I know about Paul, but who are you?’ The forces of evil knew the difference between one who truly ministered in the name of Jesus and pretenders. Do you know that Satan understands and knows if you are just a pretender or a precious possession of Christ?

Yes, demons know Christ when they met Him.

Look at , And he went down to Capernaum, a city of Galilee. And he was teaching them on the Sabbath, 32 and they were astonished at his teaching, for his word possessed authority. 33 And in the synagogue there was a man who had the spirit of an unclean demon, and he cried out with a loud voice, 34 "Ha! What have you to do with us, Jesus of Nazareth? Have you come to destroy us? I know who you are-the Holy One of God." 35 But Jesus rebuked him, saying, "Be silent and come out of him!" And when the demon had thrown him down in their midst, he came out of him, having done him no harm. 36 And they were all amazed and said to one another, "What is this word? For with authority and power he commands the unclean spirits, and they come out!" 37 And reports about him went out into every place in the surrounding region.

Demons know whether we know Christ when they met us as well.

These unsaved people found that the evil spirit was not to be easily overcome. Why? Because an evil spirit is stronger than an unsaved spirit because there is no strength in an unsaved soul, because there is no unity in Christ. Because of that unity, the authority of Paul as a representative of Jesus was able to exorcise and control demons.

If Paul had uttered the command to come out, in the name of Jesus then demon who have come out. Now, I’m not saying that you can call out demons, even if you belong to Christ, but Paul was serving Christ in a different capacity and God fulfilled and gave function to His purposes.

But then the man who had the evil spirit jumped on and overpowered the sons of Sceva. The language here says ‘he mastered all of them and overpowered them’. There a warning from Jesus in

, ‘When a strong man, fully armed, guards his own palace, his goods are safe, but when one stronger than he attacks him and overcomes him, he takes away his armor in which he trusted and divides his spoil.’

This reference suggest that ‘the seven sons calling on the name of Jesus failed to mobilize Jesus’ power because they lacked the authority to invoke his holy name, and so the demon remained in control. The impotence of these imposters was revealed, and they were publicly humiliated, hindered and humbled. These men were frauds and when the fight began they fragility was found.

They could not stand in the battle for the battle is the Lord’s and the demon-possessed man gave them such a beating that they ran out of the house naked and bleeding. Satan will run over imposters and those who claim imply that they possess some power of which they are devoid and deficient. Contrast this incident with how Jesus transforms the man in Luke.

, Then they sailed to the country of the Gerasenes, which is opposite Galilee. 27 When Jesus had stepped out on land, there met him a man from the city who had demons. For a long time he had worn no clothes, and he had not lived in a house but among the tombs. 28 When he saw Jesus, he cried out and fell down before him and said with a loud voice, "What have you to do with me, Jesus, Son of the Most High God? I beg you, do not torment me." 29 For he had commanded the unclean spirit to come out of the man. (For many a time it had seized him. He was kept under guard and bound with chains and shackles, but he would break the bonds and be driven by the demon into the desert.) 30 Jesus then asked him, "What is your name?" And he said, "Legion," for many demons had entered him. 31 And they begged him not to command them to depart into the abyss. 32 Now a large herd of pigs was feeding there on the hillside, and they begged him to let them enter these. So he gave them permission. 33 Then the demons came out of the man and entered the pigs, and the herd rushed down the steep bank into the lake and drowned. 34 When the herdsmen saw what had happened, they fled and told it in the city and in the country. 35 Then people went out to see what had happened, and they came to Jesus and found the man from whom the demons had gone, sitting at the feet of Jesus, clothed and in his right mind, and they were afraid. 36 And those who had seen it told them how the demon-possessed man had been healed. 37 Then all the people of the surrounding country of the Gerasenes asked him to depart from them, for they were seized with great fear. So he got into the boat and returned. 38 The man from whom the demons had gone begged that he might be with him, but Jesus sent him away, saying, 39 "Return to your home, and declare how much God has done for you." And he went away, proclaiming throughout the whole city how much Jesus had done for him.”

28 When he saw Jesus, he cried out and fell down before him and said with a loud voice, "What have you to do with me, Jesus, Son of the Most High God? I beg you, do not torment me." 29 For he had commanded the unclean spirit to come out of the man. (For many a time it had seized him. He was kept under guard and bound with chains and shackles, but he would break the bonds and be driven by the demon into the desert.)

30 Jesus then asked him, "What is your name?" And he said, "Legion," for many demons had entered him. 31 And they begged him not to command them to depart into the abyss. 32 Now a large herd of pigs was feeding there on the hillside, and they begged him to let them enter these. So he gave them permission. 33 Then the demons came out of the man and entered the pigs, and the herd rushed down the steep bank into the lake and drowned. 34 When the herdsmen saw what had happened, they fled and told it in the city and in the country. 35 Then people went out to see what had happened, and they came to Jesus and found the man from whom the demons had gone, sitting at the feet of Jesus, clothed and in his right mind, and they were afraid. 36 And those who had seen it told them how the demon-possessed man had been healed. 37 Then all the people of the surrounding country of the Gerasenes asked him to depart from them, for they were seized with great fear. So he got into the boat and returned. 38 The man from whom the demons had gone begged that he might be with him, but Jesus sent him away, saying, 39 "Return to your home, and declare how much God has done for you." And he went away, proclaiming throughout the whole city how much Jesus had done for him.”

This man was delivered from a whole legion of demons; he lived in state of nakedness, and lived not in a home but resided among the tombs. Yet, when he was deliver he was told to return home ‘dressed and in his right mind’ (v. 35).

But, in , a group of seven exorcists were vanquished by a single demon. They ran away naked, injured, and degraded.

Did this incident have an impact of those in this culture?

17 ‘And this became known to all the residents of Ephesus, Jews and Greeks. And fear fell upon them all, and the name of the Lord Jesus was extolled.’ The impact of this event was such that, when the Jews and Greeks living in Ephesus heard about it, they were all seized with fear, and the name of the Lord Jesus was held in high honor.

Because the fear was so widespread, many people began to treat the name of the Lord Jesus with respect that it required. This is the same name which been profaned by the exorcists when they previously asked Jesus to leave. But here in this text in Acts we see this incident as a way of magnifying or glorifying Jesus himself, because instead of asking Jesus to leave, they left their sinful ways and practices and repented. Instead of calling on soothsayers more and more people began calling of the name Lord for salvation. The disgraceful, dishonorable, defeat of the Jewish exorcists by the demons showed the Ephesians that ‘Jesus’ power that cannot be controlled: ‘Christ will not act as a flunkey for anyone who calls on his name’.

(3) When we call on the name of Jesus it brings repentance.

The remarkable humiliation of the exorcists and the consequent glorification of the name of Jesus by many led to another amazing event.

It led to great repentance! Verses 18-19, ‘Also many of those who were now believers came, ‘confessing and divulging their practices. And a number of those who had practiced magic arts brought their books together and burned them in sight of all. And they counted the value of them and found it came to fifty thousand pieces of silver.

Many of those who believed now came and openly confessed, confessing and disclosing without any prompting other that the prompting of the Holy Spirit. They confess and divulged the devilish, things they had done, the devilish deeds they had participated in, and the devilish thoughts, which had dominated their minds.

There was a public expression of repentance on the part of many of those who believed, and a number who had practiced sorcery and magic, so they brought their own scrolls together and burned them publicly. Apparently they were moved by the exposure and overcoming of the exorcists, then they realize that their own previous involvement with the magic arts now needed to be acknowledged and abandoned. Perhaps they had kept their scrolls in which they had written spells on them as an insurance policy, just in case their newfound faith proved to be inadequate in some situation.

Yet there is no greater policy of surety than the salvation of Christ!

The burning the scrolls was a way of repudiating and repenting of what they contained and the sins they had committed.

Now through this act they are representing their greater trust in God to deliver them from trouble and supply their needs.

God will supply all their needs through His riches and glory for Christ’s sake. Such repentance before God and his people was costly: When they calculated the value of the scrolls, the total came to fifty thousand pieces of silver.

Luke’s reference to the price of these scrolls suggests his strong dislike of the moneymaking side of magic and his clear rejection of it from the Christian point of view. These people recognized that genuine discipleship involved letting go of what they treasured in order to gain the treasure of God’s kingdom.

, And he said to all, "If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me. 24 For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will save it. 25 For what does it profit a man if he gains the whole world and loses or forfeits himself? 26 For whoever is ashamed of me and of my words, of him will the Son of Man be ashamed when he comes in his glory and the glory of the Father and of the holy angels. 27 But I tell you truly, there are some standing here who will not taste death until they see the kingdom of God."

The scrolls that were burned contained incantations, and other devilish pronouncements. By depicting the defeat of the magicians in this way, Luke conveyed the message ‘that in the name of Jesus, the faithful shall triumph over the forces of darkness, that in the name of Jesus Christians need not fear the devil, that in the name of Jesus,

Satan has no power in him against them’. No weapon formed against us shall prosper; all we need to do is call on the name of Jesus!

Luke’s conclusion to this part of the Ephesian narrative (In this way the word of the Lord spread widely and grew in power) echoes the

, “And the world of God continued to increase and the number of the disciples multiplied greatly in Jerusalem, and a great many of the priest became obedient to the faith. , But the word of God increased and multiplied.

In each case, a similar refrain marks the end of one significant period of ministry and the beginning of another, attributing every spiritual advance to the word of the Lord or the gospel.

Perhaps the words, with might, kata kratos, powerfully, express the force that the gospel brought upon these people to repent!

The church grew because more and more people believed in the gospel. But here the church grew because of the particular power of the gospel to transform lives associated with and illustrated by healing, exorcism, and the rejection of false religion and magic. Finally Paul is showing us that in the end truth always triumphs over the tyranny of false teaching, the formation of false thinking and the furtherance of false trust. When we call of the name of Jesus, things changed.

What's in a name? Do the titles and names of Jesus hold significance?

In the days when the Bible was being written, the Israelites often chose names for their babies based on the child's character or appearance, i.e. Esau (hairy) and Korah (bald). Some babies were named because of an incident at their birth or their names were based on some hope or prayer of the parent, as in Zechariah's name (God has remembered). The condition of the mother also frequently inspired a name: Leah (exhausted) and Mahli (sick). Jesus was named prophetically. says, "But after he had considered this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, 'Joseph son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary home as your wife, because what is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. 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.' All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had said through the prophet: 'The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel' - which means, 'God with us.'" Why are there so many different names of Jesus? The names serve as a description of who Jesus is and how He works in the lives of individuals. Some scholars have located over 700 titles and different names for Jesus in the Bible. Here are a few. God - Jesus is called God in several passages in the Bible. Along with His sinless life, miracles, and resurrection from the dead, His claims to be God stand firm (). Lord - In the New Testament, this term is used as a salutation to honor a man of distinction. The disciples used this term to salute Jesus as their teacher and master. Word - the apostle John to describe the mission of Jesus used this title. The title states Jesus' Godhead and eternal and absolute deity. Messiah - The long awaited "anointed one" who would deliver Israel. Jesus came to deliver mankind from sin and death (). Alpha and Omega - These two characters were the first and last letters of the Greek alphabet. This descriptive title expresses the eternal nature of God - the beginning and the end (; ). Savior - Jesus is the person who rescues mankind from an eternity in hell. Redeemer - "One who frees or delivers another from difficulty, danger, or bondage, usually by the payment of a ransom price." Light of the World - Jesus is the Person who brings true knowledge of God. Those who reject this light bring judgment upon themselves (; ). Lamb of God - This title refers to the Old Testament sacrificial system where God accepted the blood of animals as atonement for sin (, ). Jesus' blood made atonement for sin! Ruler of Creation - Christ existed before the creation of the world and He is sovereign over it (). Mediator - Because Jesus is fully God, He can represent God to man. Because He is fully man, Jesus can represent man to God. Reconciliation is possible (). Bread of Life - Jesus is the one and only supplier of true spiritual nourishment (). Way, Truth, and Life - Jesus is the only way to heaven, the only source of truth, and the foundation of all life ()! If Jesus is your Savior, are you overcome with thankfulness for what God has done for you? Let’s thank Him as we close in prayer.

"Jesus, You are the Way, the Truth, and the Life. You are my Life, for without You my life would be worth nothing. You are my Savior and my King, the Lamb of God who atoned for my sin. You are the Alpha and Omega and You control the beginning and end of each circumstance in my life. You are the Bread of Life and I can feast on Your spiritual nourishment to keep me in perfect peace. You are my Lord and my God.

Yes, we have all sinned and deserve God’s judgment. But God, the Father, sent His only Son to satisfy that judgment for those us who believe in Him. Jesus, the creator and eternal Son of God, who lived a sinless life, loves us so much that He died for our sins, taking the punishment that we deserve, was buried, and rose from the dead according to the Bible. We truly believe and trust this in our heart, today the Jesus is the Christ, and that we have been saved from judgment and will spend eternity with God, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit in heaven.

It is in Your holy name we pray, amen."