What's in a name?

You ever think about your name?  How your name ranks with the other names of people?  According to the US Social Security Administration, the top 5 men’s names of the last 100 years are James, Michael, John, Robert and David.   I was born Herbert.  Which ranks #764 and my nickname Trey is #604.  Also, have you ever thought about the meaning of your name?  Think about some of the great names of the bible.  David means “Beloved”.  Isaiah means “God of Salvation”.  Ruth means “Compassionate Friend”.  Esther means “The Missing”.  Samuel means “God has Heard”.  Moses means “Drawn from the Water" and Adam means “Son of The Red Earth.”  My legal name, Herbert, means “Excellent Ruler” and my nickname Trey means “The Three”.   All my friends call me Trey by the way.

One bible name means “Morning Star” or “Light Bringing”.  If you’ve ever read Ezekial 28, you see this name described as the “Most Beautiful Angel”, “Blameless” and the “Seal of Perfection”.   That angel’s name was Lucifer.  After he was cast from Heaven he became known as Satan which means “The Deceiver” or “The Adversary”.  God wrote in Genesis 3 that he was the most crafty or clever of all animals God had made.  Think about that description for a minute.

In just a few weeks we will be celebrating a name that was given to a child born in a Bethlehem cave in the presence of animals.  Think of his name and the significance of that name for a minute.    The name that would be placed in an animal feed trough after he was born.  The name promised by and given by God himself.  The name of Jesus.  Do we fully grasp what his name means to us? All other names can have a meaning, can be trendy, inspiring or even ominous sounding.  But none have power to do anything to a person, yesterday, today or tomorrow . . . until God delivered this name to us.

Think back to Genesis 3 for a minute.  The dominion of the world was handed directly to Satan from Adam after he and Eve were deceived and took the bite that sealed our depravity in this world.  What did God say to Satan?  That he was sending someone to right the wrong that the deceiver had done.  (Genesis 3:14-15).  Satan didn’t know who God was sending, what he looked like, where he was coming from or when it would happen.  But God was sending someone.  Someone with a name.  Over 3,000 years later Isaiah revealed his name, and that he would be born of a virgin.  He would be crucified and raised.  His name would mean “God With Us” . . . Immanuel. 

During those three thousand years, Satan tried everything in his power to derail the lineage to this name.  There were so many who Satan tempted and deceived who fell through his control of this world.  (See 2 Corinthians 4:4, Ephesians 2:2, and Jesus’s own words in John 12:31).  The bible is littered with the stories of those men and women.  Think about it.  Satan’s number one goal was to prevent this “someone” from coming.  Because he knew the power of this person.  This person’s name would mean power to bring righteousness to all who believed in their hearts and confessed with their mouths in His name.

Then some 2000 years ago Gabriel told a teenage girl that she, as a virgin, would bear a son.  And his name would be Jesus.  Which means The Rescuer, The Deliverer, To Save.  Yes, the baby has a powerful name.  Satan knew it too.  Remember after John the Baptist baptized Jesus and The Holy Spirit fell on Him?  Where was the first place The Spirit guided Jesus?  To the desert, with Satan to be tempted for 40 days.  Yikes!  Yes, The Word, God, became flesh and experienced temptation just like the rest of us in this fallen world.  Are you kidding me?  But this man had the most powerful name that God could ever give . . . Jesus.  And the demons and Satan fear that name and no other.  (See the story of Legion in Mark 5)

Why is the name of Jesus so great?  Well first his name was inherited directly from God.  See Hebrews 1:2-4.   Jesus is the very image of God so the power of His name can only be measured by the power of God.  Secondly, His name and authority were secured through conquests.  See Hebrews 2:14-18.  Satan and his demons fought like tooth and nail for thousands of years to insure He wouldn’t come.  Then 2,000 years ago on a hill in Jerusalem, Satan’s head was crushed, just as God promised in Genesis 3.  Thirdly, His name and authority were conferred/awarded to Him.  It was awarded from God himself.  See Jesus words in Matthew 28:17-18.  Every knee will bow down to the name.

So why was His name given?  Does Jesus need his name?  No . . . His name was given so that we could use it.  Just like God created earth for Adam, He named and sent Jesus from heaven for US!  We can turn to His name and use it whenever we need.  Jesus’ name is the fullness of God, and we as believers are filled with Christ Jesus, so guess who we are filled with because of this powerful name?  We are made one again with God because of the name’s power.  See John 14:12-14, Mark 16:17, John 16:24.  We now have His name to use in prayer, worship and day-to-day interactions in our communities.  Jesus walked in the flesh, limited to his human body.  Now with his resurrection and our redemption through our belief in it, Jesus IS EVERYWHERE.  Living inside all believers through the Holy Spirit for the world to see. 

So, this Christmas, pray about what His name means to you.  (Maybe before you tear into those presents under the tree) Your heartfelt belief in His name is the most powerful thing that has ever happened to you.  Because of a name, your identity changed upon your belief.  Totally forgiven, holy, justified and righteous.  The promise kept by God, and the most powerful name he could give, now lives inside of you.  Oh, what a powerful name it is.