“Call His Name JESUS”

Matthew 1:21

These were the words of the angel of the Lord to Joseph concerning the incarnation, birth, and work of the Son of God, our Lord Jesus Christ -- “Thou shalt call his name JESUS: for he shall save his people from their sins.” It seems to me that anyone who reads or hears that the Son of God assumed human flesh and came into the world as a man would want to know why he did so.

Why did the Son of God come into this world?

The angel of the Lord tells us plainly that God the Son came into this world for a specific purpose, to do a specific thing, on a specific mission. Hear it again -- “Thou shalt call his name JESUS: for he shall save his people from their sins.” The Lord of glory, the Son of God, assumed our nature and came into the world to save his people from their sins.

· This is the Father’s will, which he came to perform (Heb. 10:5-14; John 6:39).

· This is the stipulation of the covenant, which he came to fulfill (Heb. 13:20; Isa. 49:8).

· This is the commandment of God, which he came to obey (John 10:16-18).

My mind is lost in wonder and admiration when I think of the fact of Christ’s coming into this world. Is it not astonishing to you that the Son of God would become the Son of Man, -- That he who created all things would become the woman’s Seed, -- That he who is Lord of all would take upon himself the form of a servant to be despised and rejected of men, a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief, -- And that his purpose in doing so was that in the fulness of time he might die the painful, shameful, ignominious death of the cross in the place of guilty sinners? These things utterly astonish me! I say with Paul, “Great is the mystery of godliness; God was manifest in the flesh!”

Who is this Jesus?

That may seem to be a strange question. You have heard about Jesus all your life. Perhaps you think, “Everyone knows who Jesus Christ is.” You are mistaken. The fact is, very few people in this world know who the Lord Jesus Christ is. The Christ that is worshipped in the average church is nothing but an idolatrous figment of man’s imagination. Our Lord himself warned us of these days, saying, “There shall arise false Christs, and false prophets, and shall show great signs and wonders; insomuch that, if it were possible, they shall deceive the very elect.” So when men come to you and say, “Lo, here is Christ, or there, believe it not” (Matt. 24:24, 23).

That makes this question very important - Who is this Jesus? Who is the Christ of the Bible? We must know, trust, and worship this Christ if we would know God and be accepted of him (John 17:3). If we trust a false Christ, no matter how sincere we are, we are lost and under the delusion of Satan. If you care for your soul, you will search the Scriptures, asking God the Holy Spirit to show you who this Jesus is, of whom it is written, “He shall same his people from their sins.” This man, Jesus Christ of Nazareth is God the Son, the second Person of the Holy Trinity.

Grace Baptist Church of Danville - Grace For Today Radio Message #885

2734 Old Stanford Road - Danville, Kentucky 40422-9438

Donald S. Fortner, Pastor -Telephone 859-236-8235 - Email grace@mis.net