Joy in Unity, Part 5 – Joy in Jesus, Name Above All Names

Prayer: A heart that longs for you, our Lord, Written in your holy word.

I speak your name.

I’m not the same.

An old life gone.

The old life changed.

The name that is above all names,

Jesus I’m so glad you came.

A heart that longs for peace and rest,

Wandering in a wilderness.

Filled with pain and weariness.

And then a name I see it hear,

A name that draws me near its clear.

It comforts me and takes the pain.

The name that is above all names,

Jesus I’m so glad you came.

A heart that now cries out in joy,

The saviors name I must employ.

That name of hope they must deploy,

To save them from that fateful day,

When evil takes their soul away.

Their gentle hearts he would slay.

But for the name above all names,

Jesus I’m so glad you came.  Amen

Main Scripture:

Therefore, God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue acknowledge that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father (Philippians 2:9-11).

Associated Scriptures:

Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me (John 14:6).

If you declare with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.  For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you profess your faith and are saved (Romans 10:9-10).

I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one will snatch them out of my hand. My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all; no one can snatch them out of my Father’s hand. I and the Father are one (John 10:28-30).

Correlative Quotes:

Jesus is our Sanctuary: The Lord has ways of weaning us from the visible and the tangible, and bringing us to live upon the invisible and the real, in order to prepare us for that next stage, that better life, that higher place, where we shall really deal with eternal things only. God blows out our candles, and makes us find our light in Him, to prepare us for that place in which they need no candle, for the glory of God is their light; and where, strange to tell, they have no temple, for the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are the SANCTUARY.[1]– Charles Spurgeon

Jesus is our Deliverer: The Incarnation was not accomplished for the purpose of giving tribute to the glory and worth of humanity. To be sure, mankind possesses great dignity because man was created in the image of God. But due to the Fall, this image is shattered and is at best only a pale reflection of what it should be. Because of this, Christ became incarnate not to pay tribute to the image, but rather to rescue it. Verses 14-15 (Hebrews 2) tell us that Christ partook of our nature so that by His death He might conquer the one who held the power of death and free those who were subject to lifelong slavery because of their bondage.[2] – R. C. Sproul

Jesus, there’s no other Name: Do you know why there’s no other name? Because there’s no other name! It’s that simple! In no other name is there salvation and life. In no other name is there healing and restoration. In no other name is there comfort, reconciliation, hope, forgiveness, strength, peace, protection, truth and about a million other things. His name is enough!  We don’t need the name of martyred saints or religious leaders or any other man or woman. The name of Jesus is adequate for all of our needs. It’s a special name![3] – Marty Hopkins

Study:

INTRODUCTION

Jesus has many names; each name of Jesus is important and valuable and should be studied in depth.  However, there isn’t enough room or time to adequately explain each one.  That will be a study beyond this study.

1. The Word: John 1:1-2 and 14 says this, “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning. The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.” In these three verses in John we see the incredible truth about who Jesus is. 
2. The Truth. God does not say things that aren’t true. He has always existed and so His word has always existed.  John suddenly changes the appearance of the Word from what God says to what God is.  At the same time the Word takes on a life of itself.  In vs. 2 we see the Word identified as “He.”  So, the word has an identity.  Since this identity is the Word and the Word has always existed, He who is identified as the Word is also eternal. In vs. 14 the Word is given a name.  That name is Jesus.  Matthew 1:23 in describing that actual event of Jesus’ birth says, “The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel” (which means “God with us”).”  So, Jesus is God, was born God, is God in the flesh, and therefore every word He speaks is truth.  Every word He says, He will keep.
3. The Light: When Jesus spoke again to the people, he said (John 8:12), “I am the light of the world.  Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness but will have the light of life.  In Jesus’ time, candles were used as part of the celebration of the Feast of Booths. During this feast, the rock that provided water in the wilderness and the pillar of fire that provided light and guidance were remembered (Ex. 13:21). The rock pointed to Jesus (1 Cor. 10:4), and He also is the light to which the pillar of fire as a type pointed.  Since God is light (1 John 1:5), Jesus’ words amount to a claim of deity.[4] – R. C. Sproul editor

If we have Jesus, we have life.  He is the light of spiritual life. We can see clearly what needs to be done and what direction we need to go when we are walking in that light.  We walk in the light by being obedient to Him and listening to the directions of the Holy Spirit.  Jesus is the Light.

4. The Vine: “I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me, you can do nothing (John 15:5).”

Jesus is the Vine; we are the branches.  Biologically, the vine provides vitamins, minerals, water, and support for the branches.  The primary function of the branches is to produce the fruit.  The fruit then falls on the ground, and its seeds produce more vines. 

Jesus, the Vine of Life, provides the spiritual food for the branches and believers to produce the fruit (new believers) needed for the reproduction of the vine.  If the food is cut off to the branches, they lose the ability to produce the expected good fruit.  The picture here is that of spiritual growth leading to evangelism and other good works.  If we are not in fellowship with Christ, we are cut off from the vital spiritual support that is needed to produce these good works. 

There are many who believe this in a general way but who fail to apply it in detail. They know that they cannot do the important things without Christ’s aid, but how many of the little things we attempt in our own strength! No wonder we fail so often. "Without me, you can do nothing". "Nothing that is spiritually good; no, not anything at all, be it little or great, easy or difficult to be performed; cannot think a good thought, speak a good word, or do a good action; can neither begin one nor when it is begun, perfect it" (Dr. John Gill). But mark it well, the Lord did not say, "Without you, I can do nothing."[5] – A. W. Pink

5. The Resurrection: “Jesus said to Her, I am the resurrection and the life. The one who believes in me will live, even though they die (John 11.25).”

We know that Jesus rose from the dead, but in doing that, He also provided for the resurrection of those who believe in and trust him for eternal life.

He took it (the doctrine of the resurrection, my note) out of a book and put it into a person, Himself.  While we thank God for what the bible teaches (and all Martha had was what the Old Testament teaches), we realize that we are saved by the redeemer, Jesus Christ, and not by a doctrine written in a book.  When we know Him by faith, we need not fear the shadow of death.[6]  Warren W. Wiersbe

Summary Statement:

Joy in Jesus begins by recognizing who he is, what he has done for us, and what he will continue to do for us now and in the future.  Accepting Jesus as our Lord and confessing that God raised Him from the dead ignites salvation in our lives.  Each of these four names teaches us a new facet of Jesus and helps us to better understand Him as we grow spiritually.  Spiritual growth is the purveyor of joy.  As we grow deeper in assurance, security, and spirituality, we become more satisfied as a believer.  As we grow, we will receive greater joy from that bond.  Grow in your faith and knowledge of Jesus, and watch your joy bloom.

Lesson within the Lesson:

What does John mean when he says to us Jesus is the Word?

What does it mean to walk in the Light?

How are we linked to Jesus, the Vine, and what are we expected to do as a result?

Since Jesus is the resurrection, what assurance is there for us?

[1] [1] Charles Spurgeon, Immanuel – God with us, preceptaustin. org/

immanuel-emmanuel.htm

[2] R. C. Sproul, Our Deliverer, from ligonier ministries, the teaching fellowship of r.c. sproul. All rights reserved. Website: ligonier.org

[3] Marty Hopkins, What’s in a Name, Sermon Centrol, October 2001, sermoncentral.com/

sermons/whats-in-a-name-marty-hopkins.

[4] R. C. Sproul, Reformation Study Bible, R. C. Sproul editor, Bible Gateway, bibegageway.com/ resources/commentaries/

[5] A. W. Pink, Exposition of the Gospel of John, Copyright 2004-2012 Providence Baptist Ministries, pbministries.org., Chapter 51.

[6] Warren W. Wiersbe, The Wiersbe Bible Commentary: New Testament, David C. Cook Publishing, Colorado Spring, Colorado, copyright Warren W. Wiersbe 2007. P. 269