Song – Jesus, Name Above All Names

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Song – Jesus, Name Above All Names

Sermon by  Thomas Thornhill Jr

Passage: Philippians 2:9


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Tonight, we want to examine another song. This particular song dates to 1974, having been written and put to music by Naida Hearn.  It was originally the first verse.  Later, Dane Shepherd, co-author of our hymnal produced the second verse in the mid 80’s.  It appeared in the revised edition of Hymn’s for worship in 1994.    The song addresses some of the names of Jesus found in scripture.

 

  1. Jesus, Name Above All Names
    1. Jesus – we begin with the earthly name given to our Lord – Jesus. The name means, “Jehovah Saves” (aka, Joshua).    The name appears about 980 times in the NKJV, which is understandable considering that the Bible is about Jesus.  He is introduced in Matthew 1:1, The book of the genealogy of Jesus Christ, the Son of David, the Son of Abraham.    Matthew 1:18-21 tells us that Joseph was told that Mary was with child of the Holy Spirit.    He was told by an angel to marry her and that she would bring forth a Son, “and you shall call His name Jesus, for He will save His people from their sins.”  Joseph obeyed.  We know that he raised Jesus, as the son of a carpenter and He was a carpenter (Matthew 13:55, Mark 6:3).
    2. Name above all names – Philippians 2:9-11, after describing Jesus humbling Himself to come to this earth and to die on the cross, we read, “Therefore God also has highly exalted Him and given Him the name which is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those in heaven, and of those on earth, and of those under the earth, and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.”
      The expression itself indicates that His is a name to be honored, because He is worthy of honor.
      Luke 1:32, as Gabriel appears to Mary He noted, And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bring forth a Son, and shall call His name Jesus. He will be great, and will be called the Son of the Highest; and the Lord God will give Him the throne of His father David. And He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of His kingdom there will be no end.”
      Ephesians 1:21, Paul in describing our spiritual blessings in Jesus and his prayers for them noted, that God according to His mighty power, which He worked in Christ when He raised Him from the dead and seated Him at His right hand in the heavenly places, far above all principality and power and might and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this age but also in that which is to come.
    3. Beautiful – Isaiah 4:2 we find one of the many prophecies about Jesus, the coming Messiah. He is described here as, “the Branch of the LORD shall be beautiful and glorious.”  The Branch is clearly a reference to Jesus (Jeremiah 23:5, Zechariah 3:8) The idea of the word “beautiful” is pleasant to behold.  Jesus is one to be loved.  We ought to anticipate how pleasant it will be to be in His presence – Psalm 27:4, One thing I have desired of the Lord, That will I seek: That I may dwell in the house of the Lord All the days of my life, To behold the beauty of the Lord, And to inquire in His temple.
    4. Savior – Jesus is our beautiful (delightful) Savior. A savior is a deliverer.  20+x in NT, Jesus is described as our Savior.  1 John 4:14, And we have seen and testify that the Father has sent the Son as Savior of the world.   Acts 5:31, Peter before the council declared that Jesus, whom they murdered, Him God has exalted to His right hand to be Prince and Savior, to give repentance to Israel and forgiveness of sins.
    5. Glorious Lord – the word Lord has reference to a master or ruler. Certainly, Jesus is to rule in our lives.  Paul described Jesus as “the blessed and only Potentate, the King of kings, and Lord of lords.” (1 Timothy 6:15)  Acts 2:36, as Peter concluded his sermon he noted, God has made Him both Lord and Christ…  He is to be Lord in your life – Romans 10:9. NOTE in vs. 13, we are to “call on the name of the Lord”, a reference to obeying the gospel.   1 Corinthians 2:8 describes Him as, “the Lord of Glory” who was crucified.  Glory is a term associated with brightness.   Jesus is not just any lord.  He is worthy of our highest honor.
    6. Emmanuel, God is with us. Also, “Immanuel” – which means, God is with us. Matthew 1:22-23 references Isaiah 7:14 which prophesied that Jesus, who is God came and dwelt among us (John 1:1-2, 14).
    7. Blessed Redeemer – a redeemer is one who has paid a price to purchase one’s freedom.  Titus 2:14 tells us that Jesus, gave Himself for us, that He might redeem us from every lawless deed and purify for Himself His own special people, zealous for good works.  Peter writing to his audience reminded them AND us, that we were not redeemed with silver and gold, “but with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish or spot.” (1 Peter 1:18-19)
    8. Living Word – John 1:1, John introduced Jesus as “the Word.” Jesus would later declare, “… The words that I speak to you are spirit, and they are life.” (John 6:63)   John 14:6, He described Himself as “the way, the truth and the life…”  Jesus came to reveal the will of the Father (John 12:48-50) AND to reveal Him to us (cf. John 14:9).   In this description of Jesus, we find Him continuing to teach us through His word AND He has given us THE word that will bring life to us.
  2. Jesus, Lord God Almighty
    1. Lord God Almighty – we have already noted Jesus as Lord and God. Here it is added, He is “Almighty.”  That is another way of saying, omnipotent or all-powerful.   Jesus is all powerful.  Revelation 1:7-8 as John introduced Him, the Lord said, “I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End,” says the Lord, “who is and who was and who is to come, the Almighty.”
      Isaiah 9:6, For unto us a Child is born, Unto us a Son is given; And the government will be upon His shoulder. And His name will be called Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.  From this prophetic verse we find many of the descriptions in this verse of our song.  Isaiah is prophesying of that day when Jesus would come to this earth.  Colossians 1:15-17 describes Jesus as Creator.  This is a manifestation of His power.
    2. Wonderful Counselor – Cf. Isaiah 9:6. A counselor is one who advises. Jesus, through His teachings advises us.  AND when He came to this earth, He certainly counseled the people toward God.   The idea of being wonderful means that it is indescribable (beyond our comprehension – Romans 11:33).   He also stand between us and God as our counselor (advocate) – (Hebrews 4:15-16).
    3. Light of the World – in a world filled with spiritual darkness, Jesus declared that He is the light of the world. As John introduced Jesus in His gospel in vs. 3-5 He introduced Him as the light of men.  In John 8:12, Jesus clearly declared, “I am the light of the world.”  He would repeat this in John 9:5 as He gave sight to man born blind.  Of course, the point Jesus was making is that through Him we find DIRECTION through the darkness that is this world and ultimately OUT OF that darkness when this world is over.  He also shines as a beacon for those lost in the world who are seeking a way out of that darkness.  That is why as we look to Jesus we too are called to be “the light of the world” (Matthew 5:14, Philippians 2:15).
    4. The Prince of Peace – Again, this is a description from Isaiah 9:6.    Being a prince again reminds us that Jesus is Lord.  He is a ruler.
      Here the emphasis is peace – Jesus brings us ultimate peace.  Peace with God, with one another and even with ourselves.  Sin puts us at enmity with God (James 4:4, Romans 8:7).  Jesus provided the sacrifice that reconciles us to Him – Romans 6:23.   Romans 5:1 notes, “Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.”  Ephesians 2:14-18 emphasizes this peace.  In that text Paul notes not only enmity with God, but with one another AND how Jesus died to resolve that.   BUT He also offers internal peace – John  14:27, 16:33; Philippians 4:6-7. Colossians 3:15, Isaiah 26:3.
    5. Hope of GloryColossians 1:27, To them God willed to make known what are the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles: which is Christ in you, the hope of glory. Through Jesus we have hope beyond this life.    This world is hopeless in so many ways.  It is evil and seems to be increasingly so.  It is hard to find real hope if we are clinging only to what this world offers.  But through Jesus, we KNOW there is something better beyond this life.   Hebrews 6:19 reminds us that our hope in Jesus (through the promises of God) is an anchor for our soul.    Paul described our hope as the helmet of our salvation (1 Thessalonians 5:8).
    6. Man of SorrowsIsaiah 53:3, in describing Jesus some 700 years before He came to this earth, noted that He would be “a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief.” Isaiah is describing Jesus dying for us on that cruel cross.    It is amazing to think about how Jesus was willing to leave the comforts of heaven, to come to this earth to be despised, rejected, and ultimately tortured – not because of His guilt, but because of ours.  But He bore our sins on that cross (1 Peter 2:24).  Furthermore, we know that as Christians, this life is difficult and may involve suffering (cf. 2 Timothy 3:12).  Because of what He endured, He is “acquainted with grief” – He understands – Hebrews 4:15-16.
    7. Lamb of God – John 1:29, 36. As John the Baptist saw Jesus (preparing the way for Him), he declared, “Behold! The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world.”   The point of that description is for us to understand that Jesus is the prefect “Passover lamb” that would provide the ultimate sacrifice that God would accept once for all.  The Hebrew writer focuses on this in Hebrews 9 & 10.  Hebrews 9:26-28 reminds us that Christ was offered ONCE to bear the sins of many.  The writer will develop this further in Hebrews 10 noting the inadequacy of animal sacrifices and the Levitical priested, but he concludes by declaring, For by one offering He has perfected forever those who are being sanctified. (10:14)     Paul wrote in 1 Corinthians 5:7, “For indeed Christ, our Passover, was sacrificed for us.”

The question is sometimes asked, “What’s in a name?”  The answer is, PLENTY!  A name identifies who you are.  It’s mention affects how you are perceived by others.   Solomon wrote in Proverbs 22:1, A good name is to be chosen rather than great riches, Loving favor rather than silver and gold.  We cherish the good names of good men and women.  And we OUGHT to value our name and our family name enough to protect it.  But having said all that, there is NO name greater than the name of Jesus.

There are other titles attributed to Jesus in scripture, but in this song we can appreciate who Jesus is and what He has done for us.  As Christians, we wear His name.  Let us wear it proudly, humbly and respectably.  Think about it!