The Names of Jesus (Part 1)

I. The importance of the name of God 1. God's name is very important to Him and should be important to us. A. God raised up Pharaoh so that His name would be declared throughout all the earth (Exo 9:16). B. The third of the ten commandments is "thou shalt not take the name of the LORD thy God in vain" (Exo 20:7). C. God's name is hallowed (Mat 6:9). D. Hallowed adj.- Sanctified, blessed, consecrated, dedicated. 2. God has many names, but His memorial name is I AM THAT I AM, or I AM for short (Exo 3:14-15). A. This is His name for ever. B. I AM - the Lord Jehovah, the Self-existent (OED) C. This name of God declares his divine nature including his omnipotence and his eternality. D. I AM THAT I AM declares that God exists because He exists. E. In other words, He is the reason for His own existence, hence the reason "I AM" means "the Self-existent". F. Jesus is "I AM" (Joh 8:58). 3. God's name is also Jehovah (Exo 6:3; Psa 83:18; Isa 12:2; Isa 26:4). A. Jehovah - 1. The principal and personal name of God in the Old Testament; in English versions usually represented by ‘the LORD’. Hence in modern Christian use, = God, the Almighty. (OED) B. Jehovah - (the) self Existent or eternal (Strong's Concordance) 4. Names in the Bible usually have a meaning; for example: (Gen 32:28; 1Sa 25:25). 5. God's many names tell us many things about Him. II. The Names of Jesus 1. Jesus (Mat 1:21) A. The name of Jesus is a name which is above every name (Phil 2:9-10). B. Jesus - Etym. Jeshua, for the earlier y'hoshuÁ, Jehoshua or Joshua (explained as ‘Jah (or Jahveh) is salvation’ (OED) C. The name Jesus is the Greek version of the Hebrew name of Joshua (Act 7:45). D. Jesus was given the name Jesus because "he shall save His people from their sins". E. And that He did (Joh 6:37-39; Joh 10:27-29; Joh 17:2-4). F. This name of Jesus shows that He saves sinners sovereignly. 2. Lord (Luk 11:1) A. Lord n. - I. A master, ruler. 1. A master of servants; the male head of a household. 2. a. One who has dominion over others as his subjects, or to whom service and obedience are due; a master, chief, prince, sovereign. Now only rhetorical. Also lord and master. B. Jesus is our Lord and Master (Joh 13:13-14). C. This name of Jesus shows that He has dominion over us His subjects. 3. The Almighty (Rev 1:8) A. Almighty adj. - 1. All-powerful, omnipotent. b. The Almighty; a title of God. B. Omnipotent adj. - 1. Strictly said of God (or of a deity) or His attributes: Almighty, infinite in power. C. Jesus is infinite in power, being the Creator of the universe (Joh 1:1-3). D. This name of Jesus shows that He is the all powerful, omnipotent God. 4. I am (Joh 8:58) A. I am - the Lord Jehovah, the Self-existent (OED) B. Abraham lived about 2000 years before Jesus, and yet Jesus said that He existed before Abraham which was a claim of divinity. C. By saying "I am", Jesus was claiming to be Jehovah God (Exo 3:14-15). D. The Jews knew it which was evident by their attempt to stone him (Joh 8:59). E. This name of Jesus shows that He is the eternal Jehovah God. 5. Alpha and Omega, Beginning and the Ending, First and the Last (Rev 1:8,11) A. Alpha - 1. Name of the letter A, a, in the Greek alphabet. 2. Hence, The beginning; esp. in phr. alpha and omega, ‘the beginning and the end,’ originally of the divine Being. B. Omega - 1. The last letter (Ω, ὼ) of the Greek alphabet C. Jesus calling Himself Alpha and Omega is saying that He is the beginning and the end, and the first and the last (Rev 1:11; Rev 22:13). D. The Lord God Jehovah is the first and the last and He is the only God (Isa 44:6-8). E. Therefore when Jesus said He was the Alpha and Omega, Beginning and the Ending, and the First and the Last, He was declaring Himself to be God. F. This name of Jesus shows that He is the one and only eternal Jehovah God. 6. The Blessed and Only Potentate (1Ti 6:15). A. Potentate n. - 1. A person endowed with independent power; a prince, monarch, ruler. B. This name of Jesus shows that He is a sovereign king and ruler. 7. King of kings and Lord of lords (1Ti 6:15; Rev 1:5; Rev 17:14) A. King n. - I. 1. a. The usual title of the male sovereign ruler of an independent state B. Prince n. - 1. a. A sovereign ruler; a monarch, king. C. Jesus is not only a king, He is the King of kings. D. This name of Jesus shows, like potentate, that He is a sovereign king Who has a kingdom. 8. Christ (Mat 1:16) A. Christ - 1. The Messiah or ‘Lord's Anointed’ whose advent was the subject of Jewish prophecy and expectation. 2. a. The title given to Jesus of Nazareth, as embodying the fulfilment of Messianic prophecy and expectation; since the earliest Christian times treated as a proper name. B. "Christ" means "the Lord's anointed" (Act 4:26 c/w Psa 2:2). C. Jesus was anointed with the Holy Ghost (Mat 3:16 c/w Act 10:37-38). D. There were three offices in the OT which a person had to be anointed to hold: i. A prophet (1Ki 19:16). ii. A priest (Exo 28:41). iii. A king (1Sa 15:1). E. Jesus holds all three offices: i. Jesus is a prophet (Act 3:22-23,26; Heb 1:2). ii. Jesus is a priest (Heb 6:20). iii. Jesus is a king (1Ti 6:14-15; Act 2:29-36). iv. Melchisedec was a king-priest (Heb 7:1), and so is Jesus Who inherited his priesthood (Heb 6:20). v. David was a king-prophet (Act 2:30), and so is Jesus Who inherited his kingdom (Act 2:30). F. This name of Jesus shows that He is the Lord's anointed prophet, priest, and king.