What’s in a name?

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But the angel reassured her saying, “Do not yield to your fear, Mary, for the Lord has found delight in you and has chose to surprise you with a wonderful gift.  You will become pregnant with a baby boy, and you are to name him Jesus.  He will be supreme and will be known as the Son of the Highest.  And the Lord God will enthrone him as King on his ancestor David’s throne.  He will reign as King of Israel forever, and his reign will have no limit.”  Luke 1:30-33  The Passion Translation

“All right then, the Lord himself will give you the sign.  Look! The virgin will conceive a child!  She will give birth to a son and will call him Immanuel (which mean ‘God is with us”)  Isaiah 7:14 NLT

“As he considered this, and angel of the LORD appeared to him in a dream.  “Joseph, son of David,” The angel said, “do not be afraid to take Mary as your wife.  For the child within her was conceived by the Holy Spirit.  And she will have a son, and you are to name him Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.”  All of this occurred to fulfill the LORD’S message through his prophet: “Look!  The virgin will conceive a child!  She will give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel, which means ‘God is with us.'”  Matthew 1:20-23

“In the sixth month of Elizabeth’s pregnancy, God sent the angel Gabriel to Nazareth, a village in Galilee, to a virgin named Mary.  She was engaged to be married to a man named Joseph, a descendant of King David.”  Luke 1:26

“For unto us a child is born, unto us a Son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders.  And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace  Of the greatness of his government and peace there will be no end.  He will reign on David’s throne and over his kingdom, establishing and upholding it with justice and righteousness from that time on and forever.  The zeal of the LORD Almighty will accomplish this.”  Isaiah 9:6-7

“So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God.  I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.”  Isaiah 41:10

“Now go and say to my servant David, ‘This is what the LORD of Heaven’s Armies has declared:  I took you from tending sheep in the pasture and selected you to be the leader of my people Israel.  I have been with you wherever you have gone, and I have destroyed all your enemies before your eyes.  Now I will make your name as famous as anyone who has ever lived on the earth!  And I will provide a homeland for my people Israel, planting them in a secure place where they will never be distured.  Evil nations won’t oppress them as they’ve done in the past, starting from the time I appointed judges to rule my people Israel.  And I will give you rest from all your enemies. “‘Furthermore, the LORD declares that he will make a house for you – a dynasty of kings!  For when you die and are buried with your ancestors, I will raise up one of you descendants, your own offspring, and I will make his kingdom strong.”  2 Samuel 7:8-12

“For the time is coming,” says the LORD, “when I will raise up a righteous descendant from King David’s line.  He will be a King who rules with wisdom.  He will do what is just and right throughout the land.  And this will be his name: ‘The LORD Is Our Righteousness.’  In that day Judah will be saved and Israel will live in safety.  Jeremiah 23:5-6

“Then the seventh angel blew his trumpet, and there were loud voices shouting in heaven: “the world has now become the Kingdom of our LORD and of his Christ, and he will reign forever and ever.”  Revelation 11:15

The Lord God calls Him “Son.”  The angel Gabriel spoke of Him as a “wonderful gift.”  Mary and Joseph were allowed to call Him Son also.  The Prophet Isaiah prophesied calling Him, “Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, and Prince of Peace.”  The prophet Jeremiah once named Him, “The LORD is Our Righteousness!”  John wrote in Revelations, His name is KING OF KINGS AND LORD OF LORDS!

So many names given to our Savior.  Each name is just another facet of His Character.  Gabriel told Mary to name her Son “Jesus.”  The name means, “Jehovah is salvation.”  Gabriel and Isaiah both called Him “Immanuel – which means “God With Us.”  Every time I read that name I think of the scene in “Horton Hears a Hoo” and the people of Whoville start shouting “We are here, We are here, We are here!”  In my head my thoughts go into repeat mode, “God is here, God is here, God is here!”  Israel was waiting on the one they called “Messiah.”  It means the anointed one or chosen one.  Webster dictionary says, “Messiah – the promised deliverer of the Jewish nation.”  My friends call Him Jehovah Rapha – “The Lord is my Healer.  My sister-in-law uses the name “Elohim Shama: The God who Hears” and I quote “Like that faithful friend who puts all else aside when we show up with a need, God takes us by the hand, locks His gaze on us, and gives us His undivided attention.  How encouraging to know that in Christ, God is completely empathetic to our human struggles.  Even when no one else seems to be paying attention, you can trust that God hears the cries of your heart.”

I call Him my “Wonderful Counselor.”  Believe you me, I need a counselor.  Without Him I think I would be a complete loon by now.

I call Him “Mighty God.”  The mighty in this name literally means “Hero.”  Jesus did you ever know that Your My Hero.  You are everything I wish I could be!

I asked “What’s in a name?”  I say everything is in Jesus’ name.  His name is who He is.  His name is what He does!  Many names for a multifaceted Savior of the World.  What is your name for Jesus the Messiah?