Matthew 1:18-25, Honor the Name (2)

Our studies of God’s names have mostly come from the OT.  However, it has been abundantly clear that the names of God in the OT apply to Jesus Christ in the NT.  Elohim said “Let Us make man in our image.”  Jesus is YAHWEH, the great I AM.  God the Son was the Angel of the LORD.  Jesus, lifted up on the cross, is YAHWEH-Nissi.  Jesus, the Word become flesh, is YAHWEH-Shammah.  Jesus, who was with God, also was God in the beginning (John 1:1).

In light of this, we want to begin in the NT as we meditate on the proper worship for God, by whatever name we give to Him.  We are to do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him (Col. 3:17).  God has exalted His Son far above … every name that is named (Eph. 1:21), and has given Him the name which is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow (Phil. 2:9-10).  What are some of those things we are to do in Jesus' name?  How can we worship Him throughout our lives?

·       John 1:12: Underneath it all is this fundamental issue: we must believe on His name.  The name Jesus was given to Him because He would save His people from their sins (Matt. 1:21).  There is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved (Acts 4:12). 

·       Matt. 18:5: Jesus said, whoever receives one little child like this in My name receives me.  Notice: if we receive others in Jesus’ name, it is as if we were receiving Christ.  This applies to fellow-believers: receive one another, just as Christ also received us, to the glory of God (Rom. 15:7).

·       Mark 9:41: As Christians often talk about “being Christ” to those around us.  Jesus spoke of the reward of this: Whoever gives you a cup of water to drink in My name, because you belong to Christ, assuredly, I say to you, he will by no means lose his reward.

·       John 14:13; 15:16; 16:23-24: Prayer is an incredible opportunity for us to practice the “names of God.”  Jesus taught us to pray, Our Father.  For Christians, this is the primary name of the first member of the godhead.  We ask of Him because He is our Father and Fathers care for their children.  But then Jesus gave us the great privilege of asking the Father in His, Jesus’, name.  Again, this speaks of the deep union we have with Christ; the Father responds as He would to His Son.

·       Matthew 18:20: Christians are to gather in the name of Christ.  His promise is to be there with us.  It is not that we have a church called “Christ Church.”  It is that when we gather, we exalt His name above all others.  We see this in the Lord’s Table where the bread and cup remind us that everything we are comes from our position in Christ.  He is the Bread of Life; the New Covenant is in His blood.

·       Acts 10:48: Jesus gave us one responsibility to carry out: to make disciples in all nations (Matt. 28:19-20).  Part of disciple-making is baptizing those who express a desire to follow Christ.  Water baptism shows the connection of the new believer with the object of his faith.  So, baptism, in Mt. 28 is done in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.  Peter, when the first Gentiles believed in the name of Jesus, commanded that they be baptized in the name of the Lord. 

Meditate on these things.  Lord willing, we will continue this in our next post.