This is the notes from our Names of Jesus Life Group Series (Late 2020 and 2021)
The Names of Jesus
Why are the names of Jesus important?
They give us glimpses of His nature. If we want to begin to know who He is, then we must know the names scripture uses to describe Him.
Up to 198 different (although some are slightly different) names (or titles) for Jesus
50 Names and Titles of Jesus:
1. Almighty One – “…who is and who was and who is to come, the Almighty.” Rev. 1:8
2. Alpha and Omega – “I am the Alpha and the Omega, the First and the Last, the Beginning and the End.” Rev. 22:13
3. Advocate – “My dear children, I write this to you so that you will not sin. But if anybody does sin, we have an advocate with the Father–Jesus Christ, the Righteous One.” 1 John 2:1
4. Author and Perfecter of Our Faith – “Fixing our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of faith, who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.” Heb. 12:2
5. Authority – “Jesus said, ‘All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me.” Matt. 28:18
6. Bread of Life – “Then Jesus declared, ‘I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never go hungry, and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty.’” John 6:35
7. Beloved Son of God – “And behold, a voice from heaven said, “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased.” Matt. 3:17
8. Bridegroom – “And Jesus said to them, “Can the wedding guests mourn as long as the bridegroom is with them? The days will come when the bridegroom is taken away from them, and then they will fast.” Matt. 9:15
9. Chief Cornerstone – “The stone which the builders rejected has become the chief corner stone.” Ps. 118:22
10. Deliverer – “And to wait for his Son from heaven, whom he raised from the dead, Jesus who delivers us from the wrath to come.” 1 Thess.1:10
11. Faithful and True – “I saw heaven standing open and there before me was a white horse, whose rider is called Faithful and True. With justice he judges and wages war.” Rev.19:11
12. Good Shepherd – “I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep.” John 10:11
13. Great High Priest – “Therefore, since we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession.” Heb. 4:14
14. Head of the Church – “And he put all things under his feet and gave him as head over all things to the church.” Eph. 1:22
15. Holy Servant – “…and grant that Your bond-servants may speak Your word with all confidence, while You extend Your hand to heal, and signs and wonders take place through the name of Your holy servant Jesus.” Acts 4:29-30
16. I Am – “Jesus said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, before Abraham was, I am.” John 8:58
17. Immanuel – “…She will give birth to a son and will call him Immanuel, which means ‘God with us.’” Is. 7:14
18. Indescribable Gift – “Thanks be to God for His indescribable gift.” 2 Cor. 9:15
19. Judge – “…he is the one whom God appointed as judge of the living and the dead.” Acts 10:42
20. King of Kings – “These will wage war against the Lamb, and the Lamb will overcome them, because He is Lord of lords and King of kings, and those who are with Him are the called and chosen and faithful.” Rev. 17:14
21. Lamb of God – “The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him and said, “Look, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!” John 1:29
22. Light of the World – “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.” John 8:12
23. Lion of the Tribe of Judah – “Weep no more; behold, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, has conquered, so that he can open the scroll and its seven seals.” Rev. 5:5
24. Lord of All – “For this reason also, God highly exalted Him, and bestowed on Him the name which is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee will bow, of those who are in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and that every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.” Phil. 2:9-11
25. Mediator – “For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus.” 1 Tim. 2:5
26. Messiah – “We have found the Messiah” (that is, the Christ).” John 1:41
27. Mighty One – “Then you will know that I, the Lord, am your Savior, your Redeemer, the Mighty One of Jacob.” Is. 60:16
28. One Who Sets Free – “So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed.” John 8:36
29. Our Hope – “…Christ Jesus our hope.” 1 Tim. 1:1
30. Peace – “For he himself is our peace, who has made the two groups one and has destroyed the barrier, the dividing wall of hostility,” Eph. 2:14
31. Prophet – “And Jesus said to them, “A prophet is not without honor, except in his hometown and among his relatives and in his own household.” Mark 6:4
32. Redeemer – “And as for me, I know that my Redeemer lives, and at the last He will take His stand on the earth.” Job 19:25
33. Risen Lord – “…that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures.” 1 Cor. 15:3-4
34. Rock – “For they drank from the spiritual Rock that followed them, and the Rock was Christ.” 1 Cor. 10:4
35. Sacrifice for Our Sins – “This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins.” 1 John 4:10
36. Savior – “For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord.” Luke 2:11
37. Son of Man – “For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost.” Luke 19:10
38. Son of the Most High – “He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his father David.” Luke 1:32
39. Supreme Creator Over All – “By Him all things were created, both in the heavens and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities– all things have been created through Him and for Him. He is before all things, and in Him all things hold together.…” Col. 1:16-17
40. Resurrection and the Life – “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
41. The Door – “I am the door. If anyone enters by me, he will be saved and will go in and out and find pasture.” John 10:9
42. The Way – “Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” John 14:6
43. The Word – “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.” John 1:1
44. True Vine – “I am the true vine, and My Father is the vinedresser.” John 15:1
45. Truth – “And you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” John 8:32
46. Victorious One – “To the one who is victorious, I will give the right to sit with me on my throne, just as I was victorious and sat down with my Father on his throne.” Rev. 3:21
47. – 50. Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace – “For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.” Is. 9:6
We will only look at a few.
Week 1: Immanuel
Immanuel – “…She will give birth to a son and will call him Immanuel, which means ‘God with us.’” Is. 7:14
Deity in humanity. To have God with us brings God into our chaos. We cannot go to God, so He came to us.
Tony Evans said, “In Jesus Christ, God took a selfie.” He gave us a glimpse of God in human form. We saw God in the person of Jesus, but He was still all human – he got tired, he got hungry, he had aches and pains.
Jesus was God and man’s emulsifier. He brought us together with God.
Immanuel: how does God becoming man impact your life?
King:
Revelation 17:14, Isaiah 6:5, 1 Timothy 6:13-15
King: a preeminent ruler – a ruler who cannot be surpassed
Why was this title confusing to those who didn’t acknowledge Jesus as God in the flesh?
What was He king over? Nature, evil, humanity,
If He is king, then does He rule in my life?
Lord:
Romans 10:13, 1 Corinthians 2:8, Revelation 17:14
Lord: a master or ruler over someone’s life
About 1/2 of the time “lord” is used in the new testament it is used as a term referring to the master of slaves or servants, not used as a term of deity.
If I struggle to believe in Him, then I’ll struggle to submit to Him. A secret agent Christian is someone who denies the lordship of Jesus in their life.
I prove Jesus’ lordship in my life by what I do with my feet not what I say.
[Mat 8:5-10 CSB]
5 When he entered Capernaum, a centurion came to him, pleading with him,
6 “Lord, my servant is lying at home paralyzed, in terrible agony.”
7 He said to him, “Am I to come and heal him? ”
8 “Lord,” the centurion replied, “I am not worthy to have you come under my roof. But just say the word, and my servant will be healed.
9 “For I too am a man under authority, having soldiers under my command. I say to this one, ‘Go,’ and he goes; and to another, ‘Come,’ and he comes; and to my servant, ‘Do this! ‘ and he does it.”
10 Hearing this, Jesus was amazed and said to those following him, “Truly I tell you, I have not found anyone in Israel with so great a faith.
[Jhn 4:7-11 CSB]
7 A woman of Samaria came to draw water. “Give me a drink,” Jesus said to her,
8 because his disciples had gone into town to buy food.
9 “How is it that you, a Jew, ask for a drink from me, a Samaritan woman? ” she asked him. For Jews do not associate with Samaritans.
10 Jesus answered, “If you knew the gift of God, and who is saying to you, ‘Give me a drink,’ you would ask him, and he would give you living water.”
11 “Sir,” said the woman, “you don’t even have a bucket, and the well is deep. So where do you get this ‘living water’?
Lamb:
John 1:29
What is the significance of the lamb in Israel’s history?
Passover –
Annual sacrifice of the lamb –
Why is it important for us to recognize Jesus as the Lamb?
Priest:
Explanation of what the high priest did for the day of atonement
- The high priest was to take off his normal priestly garments, wash, and then put on the special garments – white linen robe – to be like all the other people – which were prescribed for the sacrifices which took him into the holy of holies
- The high priest secured the necessary sacrificial animals: a bull for his own sin offering and two male goats for the people’s sin offering; two rams, one for Aaron’s and the other for the people’s burnt offering
- The high priest slaughtered the bull for his own sin offering
- Before entering into the Holy of Holies with the blood of the bull, The high priest had to create a “cloud” of incense in the Holy of Holies, covering the mercy seat, to “veil” the glory of God so that he could enter in. In the case of The high priest, he was to offer only the prescribed incense so as to create an obscuring veil of smoke, thus dimming the glory of God’s presence and sparing his life.
- The high priest then took some of the blood of the bull and sprinkled it on the mercy seat seven times
- Lots were then cast for the two goats, to determine which would be slaughtered and which would be driven away
- The goat for slaughter, the goat of the people’s sin offering, was sacrificed, and its blood was taken into the Holy of Holies and applied to the mercy seat, as the bull’s blood had been
- Cleansing was then made for the holy place, seemingly by the sprinkling of the blood of both the bull and the goat. The atonement of the holy place is done alone, without anyone present to help, or to watch
- Next, outside the tent, The high priest was to make atonement for the altar of burnt offering, using, it would seem, the blood of both the bull and the goat
- Now the second goat, the one which was kept alive, had the sins of the nation symbolically laid on its head, and was driven from the camp to a desolate place, from which it must never return
- The high priest then entered the tent of meeting, removed his linen garments, washed, and put on his normal priestly garments
- The burnt offerings of rams, one for The high priest and his family and the other for the people, was now offered
- The earlier sacrifices of the bull and the goat were completed. The fat of the sin offering was burned on the altar, and the remains of the bull and the goat were taken outside the camp, where they were burned
- Those who had been rendered unclean by handling the animals on which the sins of The high priest or the people were laid were to wash themselves and then return to camp
Hebrews 4:14-16
14 Therefore, since we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let’s hold firmly to our confession.
15 For we do not have a high priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but One who has been tempted in all things just as we are, yet without sin.
16 Therefore let’s approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace for help at the time of our need.
R.C. Sproul defined sin this way:
“Sin is cosmic treason. Sin is treason against a perfectly pure Sovereign. It is an act of supreme ingratitude toward the One to whom we owe everything, to the One who has given us life itself. Have you ever considered the deeper implications of the slightest sin…? What are we saying to our Creator when we disobey Him at the slightest point? We are saying no to the righteousness of God. We are saying, “God, Your law is not good. My judgment is better than Yours. Your authority does not apply to me. I am above and beyond Your jurisdiction. I have the right to do what I want to do, not what You command me to do.”
Alistair Begg said, I want us to note three things that we learn by observing what took place on the Day of Atonement:
1. Sin is serious. Just as one could not enter into the Holy of Holies in a sinful state without dying, we face spiritual death as a result of our sin – forever separated from a holy God. Romans 6:23 tells us that “the wages for sin is death;” that is what our cosmic treason has earned, and that is what justice demands.
Sin is serious for the believer as well. Even though we are forgiven, we must not regard sin lightly.
If we do, it will rob us of our joy in Christ and destroy our spiritual growth. Instead, we must fight it and flee from it. As the Puritan John Owen stated, “Be killing sin or it will be killing you.”
2. Forgiveness is costly. God does not merely ignore sin. All sin is a serious transgression of God’s law, and God’s justice demands that it be accounted for. Enter the sacrificial system, which would one day yield to Christ’s ultimate sacrifice on the cross.
3. Shed blood was necessary. We read in Hebrews 9:22 that “without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness of sins.” Atonement for Israel’s sin required a blood sacrifice.
Savior:
Jesus means deliverer or rescuer
Matthew 1:21
Every single problem on earth originates with sin – my sin, someone else’s sin, or an environment contaminated by sin.
The job of a lifeguard is to save people who are drowning. If someone is drowning but they are trying to save themselves then the lifeguard is powerless to help. In order to be saved, I have to allow the lifeguard to do the work.
I can’t save myself from my sin, I have to let Jesus’ work on the cross be enough for me.
Messiah:
Galatians 2:20
It’s not me who lives but Christ – but the messiah himself – who lives in me – My life and His life are one. When Jesus becomes my identity, the He can function in the 3 roles He came to fulfill.
Jesus Christ – Christ is not His name – it is a title – a designation of His fulfillment of God’s promises for mankind
Jesus fulfilled as the Messiah, the roles of prophet (represent God before men), priest (represent men before God), and king (God promised that man would rule but Adam failed in that duty – Jesus came to fulfill that promise).
He is the anointed one – not just a savior – to bring the word of God, the presence of God, and the rule of God – In order for Him to bring these things He must be our identity
He must be my point of reference – just as the Messiah was supposed to be a Jew, we must have Him as our point of reference. He must be the centerpiece of my spiritual identity.
Word:
Jesus was proclaimed to be The Word
Preexistent – the author of creation – He had a divine nature
Coexistent – He has always been
Self-existent –
John 1:14 – The Word became flesh and dwelt among us – God moved into our neighborhood.
Jesus is a living being
He communicates on behalf of God the Father
Looking at Jesus gives us a picture of what God is like – a visible manifestation.
I Am:
Jesus expressed His deity in the term I Am.
He identified himself as the I Am – eternally present
John 11 – resurrection of Lazarus
Jesus identified himself as the resurrection and the life – He demonstrated His power by raising Lazarus from the dead. His I Am ness joined this family in their pain.
What has died in my life – hope, relationships, perspective, dreams –
The Bread of Life
And Jesus said to them, “I am the bread of life. He who comes to Me shall never hunger, and he who believes in Me shall never thirst.” -John 6:35
Light of the World
Then Jesus spoke to them again, saying, “I am the light of the world. He who follows Me shall not walk in darkness, but have the light of life.” -John 8:12
The Door
“I am the door. If anyone enters by Me, he will be saved, and will go in and out and find pasture.” -John 10:9
Good Shepherd
“I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd gives His life for the sheep.” -John 10:11
The Resurrection and Life
Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in Me, though he may die, he shall live. And whoever lives and believes in Me shall never die. Do you believe this?” -John 11:25, 26
The Way, the Truth and the Life
Jesus said to him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.” -John 14:6
The Vine
“I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing.” -John 15:5
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