The Name of Jesus

Matthew 1:21 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.

My nephew was born September 10. For two days he laid in the hospital without a name. So, my wife and her sister did what two responsible aunts should do … they named him.

In a group text between my wife, her sister, and their brother and his wife, who were the parents of the nameless child, the aunts named the baby. Thor.

That was the name they gave their brand-new nephew. Thor.

Being a good sport, Natalie added a middle name. Voltron.

Thor Voltron Stolzman.

Although we still like to call our nephew Thor, his real name is Henry John Patrick Stolzman. Henry after his great grandfather. John after his grandfather. And Patrick after his father.

Names are significant. There are meanings in those names.

We heard some of the names for the Baby this morning: Immanuel, Prince of Peace, Branch, Word, King, Lamb and Shepherd. But there are so many other names of this Baby that we didn’t touch on: Lion of Judah, Light for the Gentiles, Messiah, Prophet, Redeemer and Chief Cornerstone. And there are still so many others. Each of these names tell us a little bit more about the Baby born in Bethlehem.

But the name that best sums up everything that the Baby was born to do is very simply the name Jesus.

Jesus is the Greek form of the Hebrew name Joshua. Both names mean “the Lord saves.” Never has a name been more appropriate, more fitting, or more descriptive. Jesus perfectly describes the purpose for which He descended from heaven to become incarnate – God in the flesh – in the womb of the Virgin Mary. As the angel told Joseph, “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.” His Name perfectly fits who He was and what He had come to do for all humanity.

Too often people don’t like going to church because they think the church is full of hypocrites. They’re right. We’re all hypocrites. The church isn’t for perfect people. If we were perfect, we wouldn’t be in church. We would have no need of a church. Rather, we should put a sign above the door of our church that reads, “Only sinners welcome.”

I know people won’t like that because people don’t want to be reminded of their sins. But you should never be shy about recounting your sins, naming your sins, then confessing and repenting of those sins. If your sins are only indiscretions, then you just need to be more discreet. If your sins are only mistakes, then you can erase them and rewrite them on your own. If your sins are only character flaws, then you can read a self-help book and make yourself into a better person.

If your sins are no big deal, then you don’t need a Savior to save you from those sins. Then you have no need of Jesus. Then there is no reason for the season.

But, if you are here this morning because you realize that you have sins, really big sins, really marriage-separating and family-destroying sins, really damning sins, sins from which you cannot free yourself, then you truly need a Savior. You can rejoice that the Christ Child’s very name proclaims that He came for the very reason of saving you from your sins. All of them. Eternally.

Several years ago, Brooke Collins, a resident of Juneau, Alaska, let her dogs outside. One of them, a dachshund named Fudge, started to bark. When she looked, she saw Fudge in the mouth of a black bear. She said it was carrying him off “like a salmon.”

Collins took off after the two, managed to catch up with them, and did the only thing she could think of: she punched the bear in the nose. Now I don’t know what kind of punch Brooke Collins of Juneau, Alaska, can throw, but the bear dropped the dog and headed off for the mountains.

Collins later said that it was stupid to punch a black bear in the snout to save her dog. But, Fudge was worth it to her.

This morning, Christmas Eve and Christmas Day we celebrate that we were worth it to God. The Son of God left His throne in heaven, took on the human flesh of a baby, and died on a Roman cross. All so that He could punch the devil in the nose!

There is salvation in no other name, except the name of Jesus. There is power in the name of Jesus. There is healing in the name of Jesus. There is hope in the name of Jesus. There is life and forgiveness in the name of Jesus. But there’s something even better than all that – that this Jesus came for me. He came for you. He came for every single one of us. We were worth it to Him.

Jesus is the Name above all other names. Everything that Jesus is and does is wrapped up on that Name.

• It is the Name that wrapped Himself in human flesh and blood and fell asleep in a manger so that He might overcome the world’s groaning with His righteousness.
• It is the Name that gave Himself on a Roman cross in exchange for the guilty.
• It is the Name that claimed victory because death could not hold Him in the grave.
• It is the Name that crushed the Ancient Serpent’s head and locked the Great Dragon in the abyss of hell.
• It is the Name that changed our status before God from condemned to forgiven.
• It is the Name promises a better life that this world could ever offer.
• It is the Name into which we are baptized and made His brothers and sisters.
• It is the Name that gives us the blessings of communing with the Son of God.
• It is the Name that absolves our sins and blesses our lives.

This is the Name that is higher than any other name. King of kings. Lord of lords. Name of names. God in human flesh. Jesus. This is the Name that causes demons to flee, the Name by which prayer is heard, the Name by which God in the flesh is known, the name by which we are saved.

I think Thor is a great name for my nephew. That name reminds us that he went for two days without a name. Even though he has the name Henry now, we’ll keep calling him Thor.

Jesus is that Name you need. That Name that reminds you that Jesus came to save you from your sins. You were worth it. Amen.