But names are important to us, aren't they. Those of us that have children take time and pains to choose a name we like or one that we feel will fit our new baby boy or girl...or perhaps we choose a name that will honor someone else in the family. My name, Annalee, is all one word. I have no middle name. My parents each wanted to name me after each other. So they gave me my name based on my mother whose name is Anna and my father's middle name which was Lee. "Anna" means "grace". I've needed a lot of grace in my life. I think the name was an appropriate choice. People often ask me if I'm from the South because of the Southern ring to my name...and I usually reply Southern Italy! By the way, I'm glad I wasn't named after my father's first name. It was Howard.

My brother and his wife have four daughters. They took two weeks to name each girl...they wanted to live with the baby before naming her to see if the name fit the personality of the child. We can find this practice all through the Bible. Names were very meaningful during Biblical times. God named the first man "Adam" because he was made from the dust of the earth. "Ha-Adam" in Hebrew means "earth person". We have stories of how God changed people's names after a significant event in their lives. "Abram" was changed to "Abraham", which meant the "father of a multitude of nations". "Jacob" became "Israel" after wrestling with God, meaning "he strives with God".

Some of the names chosen for people in the Old Testament were not quite as flattering or very joyful. Rachel named her son "Ben-o-ni" as she lay dying in childbirth. His name meant "son of my sorrow". "Gideon" meant "slasher" and "Delilah" meant "temptress". Names have significance.

Our Scripture reading for today has to do with names. Isaiah, the prophet, is writing 700 years before Jesus made his appearance on the earth. In the verses we heard Pastor Rich read this morning, Isaiah is prophesying about the future. He is telling the nation of Israel that there is hope for the future... for the future generation of Jewish exiles. Isaiah is prophesying that they will be restored from their captivity in Babylon and they would be a light to the Gentiles. He says there will come a time when a child will be born to them, a son will be given. Born and given...the child would be both human and God. This child would be God in human flesh. He goes on to say this son will be a deliverer who would lead God's people into joy, peace, righteousness and justice....He is the long awaited Messiah....Jesus Christ.

Then Isaiah gives us the names that Jesus will be called. They are Wonderful...Counselor...Mighty God...Everlasting Father... and Prince of Peace.

Let's take a few minutes to look at each name and see what the significance is for those who awaited his birth, and for us today... we who have called on the name of Jesus as Lord of our Lives. Each name he bears becomes a blessing to us...one of the gifts of knowing Jesus.

Some of my thoughts on these names are from a book by Warren Wiersbe titled
The Names of Jesus.

First, he is called Wonderful -- This takes care of the dullness of life. In this world, people are continually looking for things that produce wonder in their lives. We get bored easily and we go out in search of something to give us a thrill, a sense of wonder. Have you ever noticed how children view the world...with such wonder? I love to be with children because everything is new to them...the falling snow, the squirrels outside their window in the yard. Last year I spoke with one of my nieces who is 3 years old and she was amazed that her Daddy had brought a tree, a real tree into the house at Christmas time. She was awed by a Christmas tree. The world is a place filled with wonder and excitement and things to discover for kids. When we know Jesus, he fills our lives with wonder. We don't have to go for cheap thrills, for something to give our lives meaning... for something that will make life worth living. We find all of these in Jesus. His very name is Wonderful for it means that God came down to us and showed us who He is through the life and death and resurrection of Jesus.

The words of an old song speak it so well:

There's the wonder of sunset at evening,

The wonder as sunrise I see

But the wonder of wonders that thrills my soul

Is the wonder that God loves me.

The wonder of it all, the wonder of it all

Just to think that God loves me

O the wonder of it all, the wonder of it all

Just to think that God loves me.

Isaiah gives us the next name of Counselor. This takes care of the decisions of life. Jesus will lead us into all truth...He is the only one who can help us make right choices. We can go to many sources for help these days...the shelves of Barnes and Noble are filled with self-help books and books supposedly filled with wisdom on how to live. But when we talk to Jesus and listen to his words, we are experiencing the ultimate Counselor that will help us make the decisions we need to make for a happy and healthy life. He counsels us by His Spirit and through the Word of God, giving us insight into our situations and leading us in the path we should go. Understand me, there is value in counsel from Christian friends and those who have been trained as counselors when we need professional help. But we don't need to go to fortune-tellers, or the horoscope or any other artificial means of counsel for our lives and how we should live in relation to God and others. Jesus will guide us if we come to Him for counsel. He promises to give us wisdom when we ask for it.

Next, the name of Mighty God is given by Isaiah. This takes care of the demands of life. Right now, I feel as if the demands of my life are pulling me in so many directions that it would be easy to give up and go hide somewhere. I understand why people turn to drugs or alcohol or other abuses in order to face the daily demands of life that press in on us. Listen, friends. Jesus is the Mighty God, able by his power, to change our lives, give us new hearts and set our feet on a firm and sure foundation to face all the circumstances of life. He is mighty. He was present in creation and he waits today to make new creations of our lives and give us the strength to meet the demands of life.

Some of you may recall that I attended a Seminarian's Conference in Springfield this past summer. It was a wonderful experience and I had the opportunity to meet some special people while I was there. God's power could be seen in many of the stories I heard, but I want to share one special story with you. I roomed with two women, there were 12 women altogether out of the 48 that attended the conference. One woman in my apt. was from California, the other from Oregon. The one from Oregon, Lupe of Mexican descent, had a story of God's mighty power in her life. She had suffered in so many ways in her youth that she turned to drugs, alcohol and prostitution in her pain. One day, when she was living under a bridge in Portland, she wandered into a church of my denomination and asked Christ into her life. She was changed from the inside out and is now a preacher and teacher, preparing in Seminary to be in leadership in the church. What an example of the Mighty God, Jesus Christ, giving her a new life and helping her to meet the demands of being a widow, mother and minister of the Gospel.

Next, we find the name of Everlasting Father. This takes care of the dimensions of life. What we are and what we do is part of eternity. A whole new dimension of life is ours through Jesus Christ, we become part of a larger picture...one that extends into the life beyond this one. Jesus has "fathered" eternity in the lives of all who have trust in him, and this involves much more than simply having our sins forgiven and knowing that we have a home in heaven. Those who belong to Christ have become a part of the very life of God and have entered forever into the realm of the eternal. Jesus loves us like a faithful and tender and loving father. He gives us good and perfects gifts and promises to be with us always, even to the ends of the earth and the end of life as we know it here and now.

And lastly, the name is given of Prince of Peace. This takes care of the disturbances of life. I especially like this one. As someone who was diagnosed 9 years ago with "acute anxiety disorder", having panic attacks and living with deep depression, I love the name of Prince of Peace. Phil. 4, verses 6,7 read:

"Do not be anxious for anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God...And the peace of God, which passes all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus." What a wonderful promise! What a wonderful name! These parents today who had their children baptized, can rest assured that God is with them and will be with their child all the days of their lives and will bring the resources they need into their lives to face every difficulty and disturbance of life by trusting in the name of Jesus as Prince of Peace. Through Jesus we have peace with God...knowing that our sins are forgiven and we have a home in heaven waiting for us where we will be reunited with our loved ones who have died and gone on to heaven before us trusting in Jesus.

Jesus is our peace. There is a saying that goes: Sometimes the Lord calms the storm, sometimes he lets the storm rage and calms His child. No matter what we are going through, we can have the peace of God through Jesus Christ working in our lives, getting us through the tough circumstances that come our way.

He is called Wonderful: Taking care of the dullness of life, Counselor: Taking care of the decisions of life, the Mighty God: Taking care of the demands of life, the Everlasting Father: Taking care of the dimensions of life, and the Prince of Peace: Taking care of the disturbances of life. These are all benefits of having a relationship with Jesus Christ. All blessings that come with our commitment to his Lordship in our lives.

But there is one other name we must call Jesus in order for these benefits to be appropriated to our lives. We must call Jesus Savior before we can experience these other wonderful names. We must recognize that we are sinners and that Jesus died for our sins, coming to him in repentance, asking for forgiveness. He must be our Savior before he can be these other names to us.

I recognize that there may be someone here today who longs to have these blessings in their life, but you have never asked Jesus to be your Savior. You may have heard the message of Jesus, or even attended church, but you have never addressed Jesus as Savior and Lord of your Life. During the Moment of Meditation this morning, I would like to sing a song, giving you an opportunity to pray in the privacy of your own heart, asking Jesus to come into your life, take away your sins, and give you all the benefits of his wonderful name.

Please bow your heads and hearts and listen to the words of the song:

The Savior is waiting to enter your heart,

Why don't you let Him come in?

There's nothing in this world to keep you apart

What is your answer to Him?

Time after time He has waited before

And now He is waiting again

To see if you're willing to open the door:

O how He wants to come in.

If you'll take one step toward the Savior, my friend

You'll find His arms open wide;

Receive Him, and all of your darkness will end,

Within your heart He'll abide.

Time after time He has waited before,

And now He is waiting again

To see if you're willing to open the door:

O how He wants to come in.

Amen

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