His Name is Jesus   Isaiah 7:10-14; Isaiah 9:1-7

Do you like your name? You are most certainly used to it, but it was given to you by your parents. My full name is Jason Arthur Beatty. As a boy, my parents called me Jay; when I was in trouble, Jason. When naming our sons, I wanted their names to reflect something of the Lord’s character so that, even if they rejected Him later in life, there would be a personal reminder of who the Lord is in their name. Names carry meaning. So it is with our Lord Jesus!

A name given in a time of turmoil. The period that we are referring to is around 730BC. Ahaz ruled Judah, the southern kingdom, in 732-715BC.

As soon as he took the throne, the 20yo Ahaz had to meet a coalition formed by northern Israel, under Pekah, and Damascus (Syria), under Rezin. These kings wished to compel him to join them in opposing the Assyrians, who were arming a force against the Northern Kingdom under Tiglath-Pileser III (Pul). Isaiah counselled Ahaz to trust in God rather than foreign allies, and told him to ask for a sign to confirm that this is a true prophecy (verse 7:11). Ahaz said that he would not test God (7:12).

This sounds rather pious from Ahaz, but Ahaz was one of the few Judean kings who was given the title, “He did not do what was right in the sight of the Lord.” (2 Kings 16) Ahaz was basically saying I don’t care for a sign. Judah, like the ten northern tribes, was under Assyria’s rule. They were a vassal state. In response, Israel attacked Judah. 2 Chronicles 28 tells us that 120, 000 Judeans were killed and 200, 000 were taken captive. A prophet in Israel told the king to return the 200, 000 captives. Assyria would protect Judea because Ahaz was still happy to be under Assyrian control, but they still exacted tribute from him and didn’t always protect. From 740BC to 722BC, Assyria took the 10 northern tribes captive and resettled them in Assyrian cities. Ahaz rejected the offer for a sign.

Isaiah replied that Ahaz would have a sign whether he asked for it or not, and the sign would be the birth of a child, and the child's mother would call it Immanuel, meaning "God-with-us" (7:13–14).

The north and the south were divided; a bit like American politics. Israel was in turmoil against Judah and Assyria, and in 722BC Samaria, the capital of the northern kingdom in Israel, fell to the Assyrians. But the Lord told Ahaz to seek a sign. The sign was the virgin shall conceive, bear a Son and shall call Him Immanuel, meaning God with us. We know this was a fulfillment ultimately of Mary with Child by the power of the Holy Spirit. (Matthew 1:21-23) “She will bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins." All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had spoken by the prophet: "Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and they shall call his name Immanuel" (which means, God with us). Jesus is the fulfillment; He is that Child.

What about this child? While we know he was born in Bethlehem, where did he come from? Nazareth in Galilee. Where’s Galilee? Right in the middle of the two kings who were afflicting Ahaz. Galilee is south of Syria and Damascus, but north of Samaria, the capital of ancient Israel.

Why is this significant? (Isaiah 9:1-7) Verses 1,2 say, “But there will be no gloom for her who was in anguish. In the former time he brought into contempt the land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali, but in the latter time he has made glorious the way of the sea, the land beyond the Jordan, Galilee of the nations. The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light; those who dwelt in a land of deep darkness, on them has light shined.” The time of Ahaz was a time of gloom and darkness, but light was coming to the region.

These areas are where the “the great light” of Christ shone around AD30. (Isaiah 9:3-6)

How did this light begin to shine? Jesus, in this very area, in fact His home town of Nazareth in Galilee, stood up in the synagogue,  in Luke 4 and quoted Isaiah. From Isaiah 61:1-4, Jesus said, “ "The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim liberty to the captives and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty those who are oppressed, to proclaim the year of the Lord's favour." (Luke 4:18, 19) And if you look at Luke 4, immediately they received this news with gladness. You beauty; we are going to be delivered; no longer captives or oppressed by the Romans. But that’s not what Jesus meant. He explained what He meant was that this is not just about Israel – but those who are called, like the widow Elijah delivered and Naaman, the Syrian leper.

They didn’t want to hear about Syrians being blessed. Syrians were the enemy in Ahaz’s time. But this Child, this Son, would proclaim liberty of a different kind. They didn’t like that and tried to throw Him off the side of a cliff.

Like Ahaz, they didn’t believe. This divided the nation. Some followed Jesus; most didn’t. At times, it seems everyone did, but then of course they yelled, “Crucify, crucify,” where days before, they were shouting, “Hosanna to the Son of David!”

It doesn’t matter whether the sign that the Lord gives is in the future or Jesus, the sign in the flesh, standing in front of you, He divides. He said do you think I came to bring peace on the earth, no, but a sword. How? Because that is the work of the gospel. Jesus said it even divides families. Some of us know that all too well. (Matthew 10:34-37)

Legacy of His name. Jesus said “I am the gate, I am the Shepherd, I am the resurrection and the Life, I am the Way the Truth and the Life.” He is the alpha and omega – the first and last, beginning and end of ALL THINGS. But the most significant name is the one He said to the Jews who were accusing Him: “before Abraham was I AM.” (John 8:58) They picked up stones. Jesus was saying I am YHWH. I am the Lord God, I am the One who appeared before Moses. I am the God of Israel, the covenant keeping God. I am the God Man, Yeshua – Jesus.

He confirmed all of these things: the government of all creation resting on Him by rising from the dead, showing He has power over death itself. This is who we worship.

But what about you? What name do you have, what do people think of when they hear your name? Is your name associated with the Name above every name? At the Name of Jesus, every knee will bow and every tongue confess that He is Lord.

If that is you this morning, you will be given a white stone in glory and on it will be written a new name: (Revelation 2:17) your heavenly name. Regardless of your name here, your name in eternity will be given by Him.

Do you declare the Name of Jesus, that He is your Lord? If you are yet to do that, why not do it now? What are you waiting for? Consider His Names…