Robert Jeffress - His Name Is Jesus
Hi, I'm Robert Jefferson and welcome again to "Pathway to Victory". All throughout history, people have created countless theories about who Jesus Christ really is. Was he a prophet, a lunatic, or the option I believe could he really have been the Son of God? Today we're going to look at four of the most popular titles or names that were given to the Messiah, the names that reveal his true identity. My message is titled, "His Name Is Jesus", on today's edition of "Pathway to Victory".
Well, today we come to celebrate the birth of our Lord and Savior, the one whom the New Testament calls the Lord Jesus Christ. Jesus, a common name in Israel, meaning Savior. Christ, the Greek translation of the Hebrew word for the Messiah, the one who was prophesied about in the Old Testament. And then of course, word "Kyrios," meaning master. The word Jesus Christ, that is how he is referred to in the New Testament. But there are other names for the Lord in the Old Testament. Other titles that were given to him. And today we're going to look very briefly at four of the most popular titles, names that were given to the Messiah. Names that foretold of what he would do for you and for me when he came.
And so today for just a few moments, I want you to turn in your Bibles to Isaiah chapter 9, verse 6. There are 109 unique prophecies in the Old Testament, about this coming Lord Jesus Christ. And perhaps one of the most popular and well known of those 109 prophecies, is the one that we find in Isaiah chapter 9. Remember when Isaiah wrote this prophecy 700 years before the coming of Christ, Judah stood on the brink of war, a war that she probably could not win. A war against Samaria and Syria. And yet as the country stood on the brink of destruction, God through the prophet Isaiah sent this word of hope. He said, "For a child will be born to us, a son will be given to us; And the government will rest upon His shoulders; And His name will be called Wonderful Counselor, the Mighty God, the Eternal Father and the Prince of Peace".
I want us to consider what the Bible prophesied that Jesus would be for each one of us, and we're going to do it in a different way today. What we're going to do, is I'm gonna take each one of these titles given to the Lord Jesus Christ. I wanna say just a very brief word about each one, and then we're going to stand together and read some related passages of scripture that amplify on the meaning of that title of God and how it applies to each one of us. And then as an act of worship, we're going to sing a hymn together. A hymn, I don't want us to sing out of ritualistic rote, but a hymn that expresses the meaning of this name, and when we sing this hymn, I want us to sing it as an act of thanksgiving to God, praise to God, for what he's done for us in sending a Savior.
First of all, his name will be called wonderful counselor, wonderful counselor. Jesus Christ possesses all of the wisdom of God, because he is God. He knows everything about this world, he knows everything about your world. You realize Jesus knows everything about your past, there's nothing you can hide from him. He knows everything about your present situation, he's intimately aware of what's going on in your life right now. And he knows about your future as well. He knows about your past, your present and your future because he has planned your past, your present and your future. And that's why he is the only reliable guide for our lives. He has deposited, the living Word of God, has deposited all of his wisdom in the written Word of God. Jesus Christ can be trusted because he is God. He can be trusted to help lead us, to navigate us through this life and to lead us into the next life. And as a reminder of that, I want us to read this morning about the eternal wisdom of Jesus Christ, our Lord.
Let's stand together in honor of the reading of God's Word, and read these passages of scripture about the wisdom of God deposited in Jesus Christ. Now together "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. And the Word became flesh, and dwelt among us, and we saw His glory, glory as of the only begotten from the Father, full of grace and truth. Your word I have treasured in my heart. That I may not sin against You. Teach me, O Lord, the way of Your statutes, And I shall observe it to the end. Give me understanding, that I may observe Your law and keep it with all my heart. Make me walk in the path of Your commandments, For I delight in it. Open my eyes that I may behold wonderful things from your law".
You may be seated. His name shall be called the Wonderful Counselor. Secondly, he will be known as the Mighty God. You know it's a great mistake to believe that Jesus Christ came into existence at Bethlehem. The Bible tells us "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God". The Bible tells us, as we've seen in Colossians 1, that Jesus Christ was not just present at creation, he is the origin of everything created for by him, Jesus Christ, everything has been created in heaven and earth and under the earth. Bethlehem simply represented a change of address for Jesus for 33 years.
Let us never forget that this baby who was born in the feeding trough was not just any other baby, he was the Mighty God. When we worship Jesus, we're not worshiping some lesser form of God, we are worshiping God himself. He is the Mighty God. And to show our reverence for the reading of the Word of God, let's stand together now as we read these passages about the Mighty God we all serve.
Now together, "The heavens are telling of the glory of God; And their expanse is declaring the work of his hands. O Lord, our Lord, How majestic is Your name in all the earth, Who have displayed your splendor above the heavens! When I consider Your heavens, the work of Your fingers, The moon and the stars, which You have ordained, What is man that You take thought of him, And the son of man that You care for him? You make him to rule over the works of Your hand: You have put all things under his feet. All sheep and oxen, And also the beasts of the field. The birds of the heavens and the fish of the sea, Whatever passes through the paths of the seas. O Lord, our Lord, How majestic is Your name in all the earth".
You may be seated. "And his name shall be called Wonderful Counselor, the Mighty God, the Eternal Father". How could the Son of God also be the Eternal Father? That is a mystery that is far beyond my pay grade, to understand how God can be a Son and a Father at the same time. But what we do know is, he is equal to God. And this phrase, the Eternal Father, is one of relationship. You see, when we trust in Christ to be our Savior, when that barrier of sin is forever broken down between God and us, it changes our relationship with God. No longer are we enemies of God, the Bible says, but we become friends of God. No longer are we slaves of God, but we are sons and daughters of God with the same rights as Jesus Christ himself.
And because of that, we can call upon God not as some distant deity, but we can call on him as our Abba Father, our daddy, our papa. The word Eternal Father, that phrase denotes the relationship we have with God and the love he has for us. A love that is eternal and is as steadfast as God himself. As we read about God, our Father and his faithfulness from generation to generation, let's stand together as we read these selected portions of scripture.
Now together. "Lord, You have been our dwelling place in all generations. Before the mountains were born Or You gave birth to the earth and the world. Even from everlasting to everlasting, You are God. You turn man back into the dust and say, Return O children of men". "Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever". "I am the Alpha and the Omega, the first and the last, the beginning and the end". "Make sure that your character is free from the love of money, being content with what you have; for He Himself has said, I will never desert you, nor will I ever forsake you".
Jesus Christ, our everlasting Father has loved us completely and unendingly. You may be seated. "And he shall be called the Wonderful Counselor, the Mighty God, the Eternal Father and the Prince of Peace". The word peace means a freedom from chaos. When Jesus came, he offered peace to the world. But it's not a piece that is enjoyed by everyone. Some people may think that Jesus coming means that there is peace on earth with every man. The Bible doesn't teach that.
Now the Bible says, "The only way you will ever experience peace with yourself, the only way you can experience peace with other people, peace in the world, is by first of all being at peace with God". And that's why Christ came, to reconcile us to God, to change our status from the enemies of God to the friends of God. And so, this morning we read about the peace that Christ came to offer each one of us. If you can wherever you are, let's stand as we read from Luke chapter 2 about the coming of the Prince of Peace.
Now together. "And suddenly there appeared with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying, 'Glory to God in the highest, And on earth, peace among men with whom He is pleased.'" "Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ". "Peace I leave with you: My peace I give to you: not as the world gives do I give to you. Do not let your heart be troubled, nor let it be fearful".