5 Names For The Christmas Child

Text: Isaiah 9:6

I.                   INTRODUCTION

A.      NAMES TODAY

1.            The names given in the Scriptures to our Lord are highly significant.

a.     There are many of them, because one or a dozen or very many names could never tell the wonders of His person and work.

(1)             Someone has said that there are more than 500 proper names and descriptive terms used in Scripture to portray God.

(a)              And, names in Bible times had much significance.

1)         Today we are going to talk about five of them;

2)         Hence, the 5 Names for the Christmas Child.

2.            As you are well aware, the names of men today have ceased to distinguish them, or to signify their characteristics, or their mission in life.

a.     I read of a man who named his child Dora, simply because a rich kinsman had promised to give the child a rich gift if she were called by that name.

(1)             Had the father inquired, he would have learned that Dora is an abbreviated form of Theodora, which means, “the gift of God.”

3.            Again, Henry is a name that was common enough a few generations ago.

a.     Henry means “home ruler;” and “ever rich.”

b.     The name speaks of one who manages his home affairs wisely and well.

(1)             Yet some of us have known a Henry (or two) who has not exemplified the meaning of the name.

4.            James means “superior”; yet how many bearing that name have not lived up to its meaning?

a.     History is filled with the stories of very inferior men names James.

B.       BIBLE NAME

1.            In Bible times, however, it was not so.

a.     Among the Hebrews, names had very definite significance.

(1)             Abraham, the father of the Hebrew nation, left the idolatry of Chaldea and erected altars to the true and living God.

(2)             And it was the Lord Himself who changed the patriarch’s name from Abram, which means “high father,” to Abraham, which means, “the father of many nations.”

2.            Abraham became the father of the Israelites, of the Ishmaelites, of the Midianites, and of other nations of history.

a.     And, in a wider, spiritual sense, he became “the father of us all” who are born again believers.

3.            Pharaoh’s daughter gave Moses his name because she “drew him out” of the water.

4.            Jacob’s name, signifying “supplanter;” one who takes the place of another, was changed by the Lord to Israel, meaning, “a prince with God.”

a.     When Jacob saw the ladder that reached to heaven, he called the place where he saw the Lord, Beth-el, which means, “the house of God.”

b.     When he wrestled with the angel, he called that place Peniel, meaning “the face of God.”

(1)             All twelve of Jacob’s sons were given names suggestive of certain conditions existing at their birth.

(a)              Samuel means “asked of God.”

(b)             David signifies “beloved.”

1)         We might go on endlessly, illustrating from the Hebrew names the significance attached to them.

2)         But these few suffice to illustrate the importance the Hebrews gave to their proper names.

3)         Therefore, they were deeply impressed by the many beautiful names that God gave to them concerning Himself.

C.       HIS NAME

1.            For example, when He spoke to Moses from the burning bush, He called His name “I AM THAT I AM,” indicating both self-existence and eternity.

a.     When the Lord Jesus was on earth, He applied this name of deity to Himself many times, saying:

(1)             “I am the light of the world;”

(2)             “I am the bread of life;”

(3)             “I am the good shepherd;”

(4)             “I am the door;”

(5)             “I am the resurrection and the life;”

(6)             “I am the way, the truth, and the life;”

(7)             “I am the vine.”

(a)              And when He said to the unbelieving Jews, “Before Abraham was, I am,” they sought to stone Him for claiming to be God (John 8:58).

2.            His name, Jesus, means “Jehovah has become Savior.”

a.     Messiah is the Hebrew for the Greek word Christ.

(1)             The Lamb of God speaks to us of His sacrificial work on the Cross.

(2)             Lord is a name for deity.

(3)             Jehovah means “the self-existent One who reveals Himself.”

(4)             Son of God emphasizes His Deity; while, Son of Man emphasizes His humanity.

(5)             As the eternal Word who was “made flesh, and dwelt among us,” He told forth the very thoughts of God toward us – never-dying love.

(6)             The Holy One of God tells us that He was without sin.

(7)             Redeemer speaks to us of how He bought us from the penalty of everlasting condemnation.

3.            Then He is called “The King of glory;” and Shilo, which means “Peacemaker.”

a.     The Good Shepherd, The Great Shepherd, and The Chief Shepherd – these three names signify:

(1)             His atoning work on the cross,

(2)             His intercessory work at “the throne of grace,” and…

(3)             His kingly glory.

(a)              He is called “The rose of Sharon,” the “Lily of the Valley,” “The Chiefest among Ten Thousand,” the One “altogether lovely” – all reminding us of His beauty and perfection.

(b)             “The Nazarene,” “The Carpenter,” “The Servant of Jehovah” – these tell us of His humble, lowly obedience to His Father’s will.

4.            Whole volumes have been written on the many beautiful names given to the one, true God; but these will suffice to illustrate the importance that the Scriptures attach to the names of our Lord.

a.     They will serve to prove to us that the Prophet Isaiah and the people to whom he wrote realized something of the far-reaching implication associated with the names given to the promised Messiah in the message we are considering today – the 5 Names for the Christmas Child.

(1)             No doubt, they ran out “good tidings of great joy” to a people who sat in darkness; for they heralded the coming of “a great light,” even the One whose name shall yet be called, by all men everywhere, “Wonderful, Counselor, The Mighty God, The Everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace.”

(2)             Like the ringing of a bell, they send their chimes down the ages, promising a kingdom “wherein dwelleth righteousness,” promising a golden age yet to be ushered in by Him whose promise never fails!

(3)             As these chimes of Christmas echo down the centuries, let us listen to their clear, unmistakable message of righteousness and peace and “good will” yet to cover the earth.

II.                 BODY

A.      HIS NAME SHALL BE CALLED WONDERFUL

1.            First of all, let us consider the fact that His name shall be called “Wonderful!”

a.     The fact is, our Lord has always been “Wonderful.”

(1)             Before the heavens and the earth were created, He was wonderful in His Being – in His glory and beauty.

(2)             In Old Testament times He was wonderful in His patience and love with His sinning creation.

(3)             How faithfully He led and taught and chastened them throughout all the centuries!

2.            He was wonderful in His birth; for He was born as no other human being was ever born.

a.     God was His Father; He was “conceived by the Holy Ghost;”

b.     He was the “only begotten Son of God.”

(1)             A beautiful star led the Wise Men to His crib;

(2)             Angels filled the sky on the night when He was born.

(a)              Humble shepherds and learned scholars worshiped Him in His lowly manger.

(b)             He was wonderful in His birth!

3.            Jesus Christ, our Lord, was wonderful in His life.

a.     He lived a holy, sinless life on earth.

(1)             The Father spoke more than once from Heaven, saying, “This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased” (Matthew 3:17; 17:5).

(2)             Jesus Himself could say, “I do always those things that please Him,” (John 8:29).

(3)             And His apostles spoke of Him with authority, using such terms as this:

(a)              He “was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin.”

(b)             He is “holy, harmless, undefiled, separate from sinners, and made higher than the heavens,” (Hebrews 7:26).

1)         Our Lord, Jesus Christ, was wonderful in His life!

4.            He was wonderful in His works.

a.     Only because He was God could He perform His mighty deeds.

(1)             Moreover, because He always was, is now, and ever shall be the God of Love, He had compassion on the multitudes…

(a)              He healed the sick.

(b)             He opened the eyes of the blind.

(c)              He raised the dead back to life.

(d)             He cast out demons.

(e)              He comforted the brokenhearted.

(f)               He forgave sins.

1)         Only God could do those things!

5.            As the Creator, He manifested His power over nature, turning the water into wine, stilling the tempest, walking upon the sea, multiplying the loaves and fishes.

a.     Thus He showed His power over nature, sickness, demons, death and sin.

(1)             He was wonderful in His works, in order to prove that He had every right and all power to become our Sin-Bearer, our Lord and our King.

6.            Christ was wonderful in His words.

a.     Even the officers who were sent by the Pharisees to take Him prisoner could only reply, “Never a man spake like this man” (John 7:46).

(1)             He always spoke the truth – the truth about God and His plan of salvation.

(2)             He always spoke the truth about things to come.

(3)             He always spoke the truth about man’s moral and ethical obligation to God and to his fellowman.

7.            Jesus was wonderful in His death.

a.     No one else ever died as He did – a propitiatory sacrifice for sin.

(1)             He died that we might live.

(2)             He died willingly and gladly for lost souls!

8.            Our Lord was wonderful in His resurrection.

a.     In His glorified, yet very real, body Christ bore the keys of death and hell (Revelation 1:18).

(1)             He broke the bands of death, robbing Satan of his mightiest weapon.

(2)             Because He lives, we too shall live!

B.       HIS NAME SHALL BE CALLED COUNSELOR

1.            Not only shall His name be called “Wonderful,” but His name shall be called “Counselor,” as well.

a.     We may not even attempt to say that, in ages past, the world of men has accepted Christ as “Counselor.”

b.     Today the unbelieving world still rejects His counsel.

(1)             Instead, “The kings of the earth set themselves, and the rulers take counsel together, against the Lord, and against His anointed…” (Psalm 2:2; Acts 4:26-28).

2.            The godless world crucified the “only wise God our Savior” (Jude 25).

a.     Even those of us who love Him and truly want His counsel all too often fail to go to Him for wisdom and guidance!

(1)             We are self-willed, impatient, forgetful of our utter dependence upon Him who “does all things well.”

3.            But in the ages to come it will not be so.

a.     All men shall call Him “Counselor.”

b.     In His inherent worthiness, He has always been the only safe and true Counselor; but never yet has the sinful world accepted Him as such.

(1)             6,000 years of human history are but the record of failure and sin on the part of frail humanity; and the nations are rushing headlong to eternal doom – all the nations that forget God.

(2)             But when Christ sits upon the throne of David, then all men everywhere will ask, “Who hath been his counselor?”

(a)              He shall judge in righteousness and equity;

(b)             And “…the spirit of the Lord shall rest upon him, the spirit of wisdom and understanding, the spirit of counsel and might, the spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the Lord,” (Isaiah 11:2).

C.       HIS NAME SHALL BE CALLED MIGHTY GOD

1.            The Lord Jesus Christ was the Almighty God throughout the past eternity.

a.     He was God with us” in His incarnation.

(1)             As the God-man, He moved among men, performing mighty miracles.

(2)             Then, in His death, it looked to the world as if His claims to deity had proved false.

(3)             The world thought He was a failure.

(4)             But His resurrection, foretold in the Old Testament and by the Man of Galilee Himself, proved for all time and for all eternity that Jesus of Nazareth was the Almighty One, the One into whose hands had been committed “all power in heaven and in earth.”

(a)              For 40 days He showed Himself alive to those who loved Him;

(b)             Then in His ascension He added further proof that all His claims to deity were forever established.

(c)              Yet it will not be until He takes the reigns of government in His omnipotent hands that the whole wide world will acknowledge Him as “The Mighty God.”

2.            This name of our Lord takes us back to the days of Abraham when the patriarch first told that the God in whom he had put his trust was El Shaddai – “the God who is enough.”

a.     It was when Abram was 99-years-old that El Shaddai appeared unto him to say, “I am the Almighty God – El Shaddai – walk before me, and be thou perfect,” (Genesis 17:1).

3.            At this meeting of the Lord with Abram the latter’s name was changed to Abraham…

a.     The token of the Abrahamic Covenant was established…

b.     And the birth of the son of praise was foretold for the ensuing year.

(1)             “Walk before Me, and be thou perfect,” El Shaddai said unto Abram;

(2)             And for such a walk the Almighty God promised strength and companionship by the way.

4.            Almighty!

a.     What a word!

(1)             It symbolizes the source of all power, all majesty, and all might.

(a)              Christ’s almighty power as Creator shaped a world into being.

(b)             His voice brought order out of chaos, light out of darkness, life eternal out of everlasting condemnation and death.

5.            By the power of the risen Christ, all nature fulfills its mission.

a.     Every flower, every tree, every mountain, every valley, every bird-song, every flash of lightening –

(1)             All of God’s universe speaks to us of His omnipotence.

6.            But the question to which we must have an answer today is, “How does this manifestation of power help me?”

a.     Simply because I know that the Almighty God is able to keep my soul that He has redeemed by His own precious blood!

(1)             Since He has “all power in heaven and in earth,” I may trust Him with all that concerns me, knowing that Satan and all his hosts cannot pluck me out of His all-powerful hands!

(a)              On my pilgrimage to Heaven I often stumble and fall; but underneath are the “everlasting arms” of the Almighty God, El Shaddai, the God who is enough!

D.      HIS NAME IS THE EVERLASTING FATHER

1.            The name, “The Everlasting Father,” foretold of the coming of the One who was always both “The Only Begotten Son” and “The Everlasting Father.”

a.     When He was upon earth, He told men that He and the Father were one and the same.

b.     He said that He was in the Father and the Father in Him.

(1)             Our Lord came to manifest the Father, according to Paul in I Timothy 3:16.

(2)             To Philip’s request that He show to the disciples the Father, Jesus said…

(a)              “Have I been so long time with you, and yet hast thou not known me, Philip?  He that hath seen me hath seen the Father; and how sayest thou then, Shew us the Father?” (John 14:9).

2.            “The Everlasting Father” is a comforting name!

a.     Everything about us is fleeting, changing, and temporary.

b.     The world is ever seeking, yet never finding, that which will abide, apart from the message brought down to earth by the One whose “name shall be called The Everlasting Father.”

(1)             It is no wonder that Napoleon, while reviewing his army before the pyramids of Egypt, said, “There is nothing lacking here”; then, catching his breath, he added, “…except permanence.”

3.            It is startling to us to see how the things of earth come to naught.

a.     Where are the Pharaohs today?

b.     Where are the men who built one of the most wonderful kingdoms the world ever saw?

(1)             They are withered old mummies in a glass case in the British Museum.

(a)              Where are the Caesars today?

(b)             They are a handful of dust that helps to make up old Rome.

1)         Where is Nebuchadnezzar today?

2)         The exact site of his palace of splendor cannot even be identified.

4.            Think about it!

a.     Today we carry in our pockets coins bearing the image of a past President of the United States of America.

b.     Where is he now?

c.      Even the metal of the coin is wearing away.

(1)             Today you and I sit in the pews of our church; we who minister stand behind our pulpits.

(2)             Tomorrow, if the Lord tarries, we shall be gone.

(3)             Yet, in the midst of all this change, you and I long for life.

(4)             We want to live, and rightly so.

5.            We bury our loved ones in the graves; and one asks us, “If a man die, shall he live again?” (Job 14:14).

a.     The infidel has no answer of hope.

b.     The worldly-wise say, “We do not know.”

(1)             But God’s living Word tells us that He whose name is “The Everlasting Father” reassures us, saying:

(2)             “I am the resurrection, and the life: he that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live: And whosoever liveth and believeth in me shall never die,” (John 11:25-26).

E.        HIS NAME IS THE PRINCE OF PEACE

1.            When Christ was born in Bethlehem, the angels appeared unto the shepherds as they watched their flocks by night;

a.     And this is what this is what they said: “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace among men in whom He is well pleased” (Luke 2:14 ASV).

(1)             It was Christ Himself who said to His own, “Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you.  Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid,” (John 14:27).

(2)             The peace that Jesus gives to the redeemed includes “peace with God,” “the peace of God,” and “peace on earth.”

(a)              Romans 5:1 – Being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.

(b)             “Having made peace through the blood of His cross…he is our peace,” (Col. 1:20; Eph. 2:14).

2.            The sad truth is that many of God’s born-again children do not know what it means to have “the peace of God” in a restless, troubled world.

a.     They are saved by His grace for all eternity; yet they worry and fret and fear what tomorrow may bring, while all the while God loves them and longs for them to rest in His sure promise of grace sufficient for every need.

b.     Through the Apostle Paul He bids us, every one who has been redeemed, to heed His admonition:

(1)             Philippians 4:6-7 – Be careful [anxious] for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God.  And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.

3.            And in that coming day, which seems to us to be even at our doors, the Lord Jesus, “The Prince of Peace,” will come in glory to establish “peace on earth” which will be literal, world-wide, and abiding!

a.     The day will come when our Lord Jesus “…shall judge among the nations, and shall rebuke many people: and they shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruninghooks: nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war any more,” (Isaiah 2:4).

4.            Ladies and gentlemen, Christmas chimes – and what chimes these are!

a.     They peal out the “good tidings of great joy” which the angels sang to the shepherds on the Judaean hills that first Christmas night.

(1)             They echo in our hearts at this Christmas season, bidding us to think upon Him who was the born of a virgin and fathered of the Holy Ghost.

(2)             They tell us that He was “the only begotten” Son of the Father, “given” to a world lost in sin and sorrow.

(3)             They point us on to that yet future day when all men everywhere shall call His name:

(a)              Wonderful

(b)             Counselor

(c)              The Mighty God

(d)             The Everlasting Father

(e)             The Prince of Peace

5.            With the Psalmist of many centuries ago we sing, with hearts of joy and peace:

a.     “They that know thy name will put their trust in Thee,” (Psalm 9:10).

(1)             Psalm 9:8-10 – And He shall judge the world in righteousness, He shall minister judgment to the people in uprightness.  The Lord also will be a refuge for the oppressed, a refuge in times of trouble.  And they that know thy name will put their trust in Thee: for thou, Lord, hast not forsaken them that seek thee.

III.              CLOSE

A.      WHEN SANKEY SANG

1.            The beautiful story of a song that gave glory to God on a Christmas Eve many years ago has been printed in a little tract entitled, “When Sankey Sang the Shepherd Song On Christmas Eve.”

a.     We will quote it here in full, because it gives honor and glory to the Christ of Bethlehem and the Christ of the Cross.

It happened that on Christmas Eve of the year 1875, Ira D. Sankey, to whom God had given wonderful power to sing the Gospel as he worked with Dwight L. Moody, was traveling by steamboat up the Delaware River.

–         It was a calm, starlit evening, and there were many passengers gathered on the deck.

–         Mr. Sankey was asked to sing; and, as always, he was perfectly willing to do so.

–         He stood there leaning against one of the great funnels of the boat, his eyes raised to the starry heavens in quiet prayer.

–         It was his intention to sing a Christmas song, but somehow he was driven to sing “The Shepherd Song”:

Savior, like a shepherd lead us:

Much we need Thy tend’rest care;

In Thy pleasant pastures feed us;

For our use Thy folds prepare.

Blessed Jesus, blessed Jesus,

Thou has bought us; Thine we are.

We are Thine, do Thou befriend us;

Be the Guardian of our way:

Keep Thy flock, from sin defend us;

Seek us when we go astray.

Blessed Jesus, blessed Jesus,

Hear, oh, hear us when we pray.

Thou has promised to receive us,

Poor and sinful though we be;

Thou hast mercy to relieve us,

Grace to cleanse and power to free.

Blessed Jesus, blessed Jesus,

We will early turn to Thee.

Early let us seek Thy favor;

Early let us do Thy will,

Blessed Lord and only Savior,

With Thy love our bosoms fill.

Blessed Jesus, blessed Jesus,

Thou hast loved us, love us still.

There was a deep stillness.

–         Words and melody, welling from the singer’s soul, floated out over the deck and quiet river.

–         Every heart was touched.

–         After the song was ended, a man with a rough, weather-beaten face came up to Mr. Sankey and asked, “Did you ever serve in the Union Army?”

–         “Yes,” answered Mr. Sankey, “in the spring of 1860.”

–         “Can you remember if you were doing picket duty on a bright moonlight night in 1862?”

–         “Yes,” answered Mr. Sankey, very much surprised.

o   “So do I,” said the stranger, “but I was serving in the Confederate Army.”

o   “When I saw you standing at your post, I thought to myself, That fellow will never get away from here alive.

o   I raised my musket and took aim.

o   I was standing in the shadow, completely concealed, while the full light of the moon was falling on you.

o   At that instant, just as a moment ago, you raised your eyes to Heaven and began to sing.

o   Music, especially song, has always had a wonderful power over me, and I took my finger off the trigger.

o   Let him sing his song to the end, I said to myself.  I can shoot him afterwards.  He’s my victim at all events, and my bullet cannot miss him.

o   But the song you sang then was the song you sang just now.  I heard the words perfectly, We are Thine, do Thou befriend us; Be the Guardian of our way.

o   Those words stirred up memories in my heart.

o   I began to think of my childhood and my God-fearing mother.

o   She had many, many times sung that song to me.

o   But she died all too soon; otherwise, much in my life would no doubt have been different.

o   When you had finished your song, it was impossible for me to take aim at you again.

o   I thought, The Lord who is able to save that man from certain death must surely be great and mighty – and my arm of its own accord dropped limply at my side.

o   Since that time I have wandered far; but when I saw you just now, standing there praying, as on that other occasion, I recognized you.

o   Then my heart was wounded by your song.

o   Now I wish you would help me find a cure for my sin-sick soul.

Deeply moved, Mr. Sankey threw his arms about the man who in the days of the war had been his enemy.

–         And this Christmas Eve the two went together to the manger in Bethlehem and to the Christ of the Cross.

–         There the stranger found Him who is the only Savior, the One of whom the angel and the prophet said many centuries ago:

o   Luke 2:9-11 – And the angel of the Lord…said unto them [the shepherds], Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people.  For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord.

Isaiah 9:6 – For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace.

B.       ALTAR CALL