The sermon 'His Name Was Called Jesus' by Peter Allison explores the significance of the name Jesus, emphasizing its meaning 'Jehovah saves.' The sermon begins with the biblical account from Luke 2:21-40, where Jesus is named during His circumcision, fulfilling the angel's proclamation to Mary. The speaker highlights the importance of names in biblical contexts, often reflecting aspects of God's character or a person's role within God's plan. The sermon draws parallels between Jesus and Old Testament figures like Joshua, whose name also means 'Jehovah saves.' Through exploration of scriptural references, the speaker discusses how Jesus' name signifies His role as Savior, emphasizing the covenant relationship between God and His people. The sermon further elaborates on Jesus being the 'Wonderful Counselor,' 'Mighty God,' 'Everlasting Father,' and 'Prince of Peace,' underscoring His divine attributes and authority. The act of circumcision, which Jesus underwent, is explained as a sign of the covenant and a precursor to the shedding of blood necessary for humanity's salvation. The sermon concludes with a reflection on the transformative power of Jesus' name, which brings salvation, peace, and reconciliation, affirming the believer's identity in Christ.

Please turn with me in your Bibles, and if you don't have one, we have some in the back rack. To Luke chapter 2, I'd like to read beginning at verse 21, we will be looking primarily at verse 21. But I would like to read this section through verse 40 to give us the context. Through verse 40. Will you give us the context?

Hear God's word. And when eight days were completed for the circumcision of the child, his name was called Jesus, the name given by the angel before he was conceived in the womb. Now when the days of your purification according to the law of Moses were completed, they brought him to Jerusalem to present him to the Lord. As it is written in the law of the Lord, every male who opens the womb shall be called holy to the Lord. And to offer a sacrifice, according to what is said in the law of the Lord, a pair of turtle-doves or two young pigeons.

And behold, there was a man in Jerusalem named Simeon, and this man was just and devout, waiting for the consolation of Israel and the Holy Spirit was upon him. And it had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he would not see death before he had seen the Lord's Christ. So he came by the Spirit into the temple and when the parents brought in the child Jesus to do for him according to the custom of the law, He took him up in his arms and blessed God and said, Lord, now you are letting your servant depart in peace. According to your word, for my eyes have seen your salvation, which you have prepared before the face of all peoples, a light to bring revelation to the Gentiles and the glory of your people Israel. And Joseph and his mother marveled at those things which were spoken of him.

And then Simeon blessed them and said to Mary his mother, Behold, that this child is destined for the fall and rising of many in Israel, And for a sign which will be spoken against, yes, a sword will pierce through your own soul also, that the thoughts of many hearts may be revealed." Now there was one Anna, a prophetess of the daughter of Fanuel of the tribe of Asher. She was of a great age and had lived with a husband seven years from her virginity. This woman was a widow of about eighty-four years, who did not depart from the temple but served God with fastings and prayers night and day. Coming in that instant she gave thanks to the Lord and spoke to Him of all those who looked for redemption in Jerusalem. So when they had performed all things according to the law of God, They returned to Galilee, to their own city Nazareth, and the child grew and became strong in spirit, filled with wisdom, and the grace of God was upon him." Thus far the reading of God's Word.

Amen. Heavenly Father, we thank you for this Word. It is a Word of life. It is a Word of truth. We ask that you would open our eyes and the understanding of our heart.

That you would focus our mind now upon this part of your Word. Help us to set aside the thoughts that would distract us from hearing you speak. Enable us to give our full and complete attention. Father, May the words that are spoken be true. May you sanctify my sinful lips to do this.

In Jesus' name, Amen. His name was called Jesus. Jesus. It's a name that's common then and is even common today. We typically say Jesus, but it's the same name, Jesus.

One of the duties and privileges of parents is to name their children, their offspring. Now, conscientious parents put a little bit of thought into the names of their children because Names are significant. Names are very significant. They mean something. In the Bible, a name that was given to a child could record some aspect of that person's birth, for example.

It might establish a family tie, given as a family name. It might honor someone or remember someone who had done something. It could memorialize what they have done. Or a name might also express a truth about God, a truth of His work, what He has done, of His character, what He is. Names can do that.

They can be a testimony to the faithfulness, the beauty, the love of God. We have those names today. Charity, or honor, or providence. Names can reflect the beauty of God's work. Names are also used to reflect or affirm a relationship with God, or to indicate the direction or calling of someone's life.

Many names in the Old Testament and in the New Testament had Jehovah's in them, the name of God in them. Jehoiakim was Jehovah, raises up. Jonathan, Jehovah has given. Jehoram, Jehovah is raised on high. These are all expressing truths about the Lord Himself using His name.

That's in the prefix, the Je, as we say it today, or the Yah. But sometimes names took the suffix of God's name, the Yah. Hallelujah means to praise the Lord. The Yah is the last suffix of God's name. Hallel is praise, praise the Lord.

So Jedidiah, Solomon, was given the name loved by Yah, loved by the Lord, loved by Jehovah. Or Eliah, or Eliahoo, Elijah, my God is Yah, or Jehovah, or Obadiah, the servant of Jehovah. Something about his calling in life. Or Zechariah, remembered by Jehovah. So these are names, these are people who were given names that spoke something of God's character, His work, or their relationship to the Lord as His servant and so forth.

Have you pondered this name Jesus lately? What does it mean? This wonderful name by which we are saved, what does it mean? Jesus is a name that is often used today. It is used by saints in calling upon Him.

It is used by saints in their hour of need and trial for calling upon Him for strength, for salvation. It is used in saints as they depart, as they commend their spirit into his hands. It's also used by the pagan and the heathen in vain. As they take his name in vain. Name Jesus is taken in vain Many times.

And just like the prefix or the suffix of God's name is used in naming children, so even when people take it in vain, they use a prefix of God's name at some times. What do we see in our text about this name? First we see that this name is given by the Father to His Son. Jesus is the Son of God and God the Father gave this name to Jesus. God sent an angel to Mary in the previous chapter in verse 26, the angel Gabriel was sent by God to give this message.

He was sent to the city of Galilee named Nazareth to a virgin betrothed to a man whose name was Joseph of the house of David. This virgin's name you know was Mary. And Gabriel had a message from God for her that she was a blessed woman. Gabriel told her this message from God that you will bring forth a son, you will conceive in your womb and bring forth a son and shall call his name Jesus. Mary did not get the option of naming her son.

God Himself gave the name Jesus to His Son. His name shall be called, you shall call His name Jesus. And that is repeated several times in Matthew and in Luke here, in our text, His name was called Jesus just as God had prescribed even before His conception when it was announced to Mary. His name shall be called Jesus. What is the significance of giving a name to something?

Remember Adam was called upon to name all of the animals that God created. Adam was given a stewardship and dominion over all of those animals. One of the significance of giving a name is that it conveys an authority or ownership of what is being named. It implies that Adam was naming these creatures, they were under his dominion. Every creeping thing was given to Adam, and Adam named them.

But giving a name also can imply sonship, it can imply adoption, or in marriage it can mean to come under the headship of one's husband. For a man to give his name to a woman means even more than bringing her under his care and protection and his love. It is in that case to acknowledge that God has made her bone of his bone and flesh of his flesh. And when a woman refuses to take the name of her husband or refuses to receive the name that is being given to her by her husband. She is insensely saying, I'm rejecting your protection.

I'm rejecting your love. I don't want to be the bone of your bone and the flesh of your flesh. To reject Christ's name that has been put upon us would be to say we don't want to have Christ as our Lord. And so To have a name put upon us, to have God's name put upon us, means that whatever is being named should demonstrate some aspect of God's character, or essentially that we would accomplish something that is signified by that name. Christ called Simon Peter, he said because Peter means rock, and he said because on this rock he would build his church.

God gave Abraham his name, changed it from Abram to Abram was what Tyra called him. God said, no your name is no longer Abram but it will be Abraham because he would be a father of many nations. He named Jacob Israel, which means God prevails because Jacob wrestled with God and had prevailed. God gave Sarah a different name. Her name that had been given by her parents was Sarai, which signifies my princess.

And God said, no her name will be Sarah, because that is a princess of a multitude. Sarai means she is a princess and that honor is confined to one family. My princess is more of a possessive of one family. Sarah signifies a princess of a multitude. That from her should come the Messiah, the Prince of the Kings of the Earth.

And so Jesus' name is also very significant. It's the same name as Joshua. And we know that from the Bible. Now early on in the Bible, in Exodus, in Deuteronomy, and in Joshua, that name is Yehoshua. You can recognize the same start as Jehovah.

Jehoshua or Jehoshua. We put the hard J on it, but it's the same. We have the same thing going back and forth between Spanish and English. The J is soft, like the word San Jose is J-O-S-E. Jose is how we say it, but the J in English can often become hard.

And so that's what we have with Joshua. Yehoshua is the word in Hebrew, Yahoshua. And that's what Moses called Joshua. In Numbers 13, there were twelve people selected to go as spies into the land of Canaan. And Moses called Hoshia, the son of Nun, Yehoshua.

He changed his name from Hoshia, or Oshia, which means to save, to Yehoshua. What does Yehoshua mean? Yehoshua is two words put together. It's just like those other names that start with Jehoiakim or Jehoshaphat. They start with the first two syllables of Jehovah.

That Yehoshua is Jehovah. It is a shortened form of Jehovah. The second part of Shua is a verb that means to save. So the word Yehoshua means Jehovah saves. Now you know why God said, His name shall be called Jesus because He will save His people from their sins.

Jesus' name means Jehovah saves. That word Yehoshua in the scriptures later on in Ezra and Nehemiah is shortened to Yeshua, or Jeshua as your King James may say. But it's the same name, Jehovah saves. That word then is translated into the Greek as Iesous. That is the word we recognize as Jesus.

But you know that word in the Greek New Testament is used for both Jesus' name and Joshua's name. The same Greek word, Iesous. In Acts 7, Stephen is recounting something that Joshua does and he uses this Greek name for Jesus. Yesus. In Hebrews 4, 8, Paul talks about if Joshua had given the people a visual rest, there wouldn't be a need for another rest.

He uses this name for Jesus, Yesus. So Joshua and Jesus are the same name, and that name means Jehovah saves. Now there is more. Not only has God the Father given to Jesus his name, but he has also given him his name, his covenant name. Not even Abraham was given God's covenant name.

Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. Look in Exodus 6 when God appeared to Moses in the burning bush in chapter 3, Moses said, Who are you? Who should I say has sent you? And God said, Tell them that I am that I am has sent you. Well in chapter 6, God said to Moses again, Now you will see what I will do with Pharaoh, for I am going to let him go.

He will let my people go with a strong hand. He will drive them out of the land. And God spoke to Moses and said to him, I am Jehovah. I appeared to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob as God Almighty, El Shaddai. I appeared to them as El Shaddai, that's who I was.

But by my name Jehovah I was not known to them. But now I am coming to you. What is my name? My name is Jehovah. That name is used over 6, 000 times I think throughout the scriptures.

For some reason, well for I think wrong reasons, it has been translated Lord. And whenever you see capital L-O-R-D, capital L, capital O, capital R, capital D in your English Bible, that is saying that the word there is not Adonai or El Shaddai or God, that word is God's covenant name, Jehovah. The King James Bible uses that word in places, in many places, in several places, but nowhere near everywhere that we see capital L-O-R-D. I think it arises out of a misguided notion that God's name was not to be pronounced. And so instead of saying Jehovah, other things were said instead.

Adonai and so on. But if God has given to us His name and says, this is who I am, who are we to say, well we can't call you by the name that you have given to us to call you by. This is God's name by which He has revealed Himself to us. His covenant name. I was not known to them as God Almighty, but by my name Jehovah I was not known to them.

I have also established my covenant with them." This is God's covenant name. Jesus was given His name, Jehovah Saves, because He would save His people from their sins. That was what the angel told Joseph, that his betrothed wife would bring forth a son, and that Joseph was to call his name Jesus. So God has appeared separately to Mary and to Joseph, telling both of them, this is what you will call your son. Call him Jesus because he would save his people from their sins.

Peter preached this to the Sanhedrin. They were called before them to give account. He said, neither is there salvation in any other, for there is none other name given among men whereby we must be saved. And Paul told the Philippians, God has highly exalted him and given him a name which is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow And every tongue should confess that Jesus is Lord to the glory of God, the Father. Jesus' name signifies what God is doing for His people.

It is linked to His covenant. He will always be Himself. He is always righteous. He is always holy. He is always faithful and loyal to those who keep His covenant.

Jesus' name, we are told in Isaiah 9, 6, the name of the Messiah would be Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. Wonderful counselor. He is, Jesus is our wonderful counselor. We can bring to Him all of our fears, all of our longings, all of our doubts, all of our concerns, all of our frustrations, all of our things that we are confused and perplexed and don't know what to do. He is a wonderful counselor in whom is hid all wisdom and knowledge.

We can come to Him as our wonderful counselor. He's the mighty God. The mighty God. El Shaddai. He's the one who governs this earth.

He has authority over the waves, the ocean, the tsunamis, the course of the planets, the weather, the little things like the weather, the earth. He causes the earth to shake. He opens the earth up to swallow up his enemies. He causes the earth to open up to protect his people. He's the mighty God.

There is nothing he cannot do to save his people. Even the heart of the king is in his hand and he turns it with or so ever he will, He is the mighty God. He sends a storm to destroy the Spanish Armada. A storm that came up and blew all their ships away, because He's the mighty God. He saves His people.

He's the everlasting Father. To be the Father is to be a possessor. He is the one who is everlasting. If he has established his covenant, it is an everlasting covenant. Because he himself is the possessor of eternity.

He is the Prince of Peace. He is the one who can bring reconciliation where there is discord. He is the one who has made peace with, reconciled us to God and made peace between us and God. We who have offended God, we who are under His wrath and condemnation, He has brought peace because He is the Prince of Peace. The name of Jesus is a saving name.

The name of Jesus is a saving name. The name of Jesus is a powerful name. We are to do all things in word and indeed in the name of the Lord Jesus. Even the demons are subject to his name. It is in his name that we have authority to do anything at all.

Everything that we do, we do by the authority of his name, not ours. Colossians 3, We are to do all things in word and deed in the name of the Lord Jesus. And the name of Jesus is the supreme name. It's the supreme name. Every, every other knee will bow before that name.

It's the name that charms our fears and bids our sorrows cease. It is the name that is music in the sinner's ears and brings life and health and peace, as the hymn writers say. Now how does he bring this salvation? Well see that's tied up right in our text here. When eight days were completed for the circumcision of the child, His name was called Jesus.

What does circumcision have to do with this? Circumcision, that's the sign of the covenant that God made with Abraham back in Genesis 17. That God said, this is my covenant which you shall keep, that every male child among you shall be circumcised. Circumcision is the cutting away of the foreskin on a part that only men have. Stephen names this covenant that God made with Abraham by this sign.

He calls it the covenant of circumcision. What did it signify? What did this covenant signify? This covenant of which circumcision is the sign, so we can say that circumcision signified first of all union with God. God knew Those who were circumcised.

He said in Abraham, he says, I will be God to you and to your children after you. Amos 3 speaks of, you only have I known of all the nations of the earth. You only have I known. Those who are of the circumcision were known by God out of all the families of the earth. Or in Psalm 147 it says, He declares His statutes and His judgments to Israel.

He hasn't dealt like that with any other nation. To be circumcised meant to be in union, united to Christ, united to the Lord, to be known by Him, to have His laws, His statutes, and His judgments. All the other people didn't have those things. That's what's signified by their circumcision, but it also signifies the need for our defilement to be removed. Because we are sinners, all those who are descended from Adam by ordinary generation, all those who are sons of Adam.

Our flesh is corrupt, it's polluted, it needs to be purified. It needs to be purified. And so this is the inward work of the Holy Spirit to bring regeneration, to purify us. That is why Moses told the children of Israel, Therefore circumcise the foreskin of your heart, and be stiffed neck no longer. Circumcise the foreskin of your heart.

This is speaking of regeneration. Circumcision pointed to our defilement and the need for our sinful flesh to be cut away and it was something that involved the shedding of blood. Because without the shedding of blood there is no remission of sin. And so the very sign that spoke to our need to have our defilement removed was a bloody sign. Because only the blood, only blood could cleanse us.

So the Israelites were called to circumcise their hearts because this is something that speaks of an inward work of the Holy Spirit. And so on throughout the Old Testament. Circumcision, It's a bloody sign. It's also a seal. In Romans 4 we know that circumcision is a seal of the righteousness that is by faith.

It's a seal of the righteousness that is by faith. It's a seal of the covenant. Now, why did Christ need to be circumcised? His flesh was not defiled. He didn't need his foreskin cut away to signify the need of regeneration.

Why was he circumcised? Because his name was Jesus. And he was called Jesus because he would save us from our sins and he would save us by the shedding of his own blood. And so here at his circumcision, this man who was righteous, who was without sin, without defilement, who was pure and holy, was circumcised his blood was shed to signify, this was a precursor, his first shedding of blood because he was going to die to save his people from their sins. He would save his people from their sins.

And that's the significance of his circumcision. It's the first time that he sheds his blood for his people. You see, sin is like a leprosy. That was something that was dealt with in great detail in the Old Testament. Sin penetrated deep into the body.

If you look in Leviticus 13, We don't have time to go there this morning, but in Leviticus 13 it talks all about leprosy. It's a picture of our sin that Jesus came to save us from. See, the priest was to look at it and if it was only on the surface then that was okay, but if it had spread into the flesh and penetrated then it was leprosy. And the lepers had to go outside the camp, they were unclean. And so sin is not merely an appearance problem.

It's not just, well you need to put on fresh makeup, or you need to change your clothes. No sin is permeated into our very being, our essence. It's not solved by merely saying, peace, peace. It's solved only by the shedding of blood, Christ's blood. Sin spreads like leprosy.

One of the other things in Leviticus 13 is, has it spread? Has it spread or not, like a cancer? If it hadn't spread, then there was hope that it wasn't leprosy. But if it's spread, then it's leprosy. Sin spreads.

It doesn't just stay, it grows and affects everything, permeates everything. Sin defiles. Leprosy made the person who had it unclean. They could not live within the camp, they had to live outside the camp. Anytime anyone came near, they had to shout, unclean, unclean.

We who are sinners are unclean in the sight of God. Only the blood of Jesus Christ can cleanse us. Sin leprosy separated the leper from the people. If you read in Leviticus 13, the lepers had to live separately. They couldn't live with everybody else.

They couldn't live in the camp. Sin cleanses us. Sin separates us from God. We are alienated from God. We are outcasts.

That's why Adam and Eve were cast out of the garden when they sinned. Sin makes us liable for God's wrath and for judgment. So that which had leprosy in Leviticus 13 had to be burned, had to be destroyed. But Jesus saves us. He takes our sin.

Jesus takes our sin. He who knew no sin became sin for us. That we who are sinners might be made righteous. He gives to us His righteousness. He cleanses us from our corruption.

He turns our rotting, leprous, cancerous flesh into living, sweet smelling flesh. He restores peace. He takes us in to his family and gives us a name. Christ was called Jesus because he saves us from our sin. There is no bondage that He cannot break.

There is no fear that we may have that Jesus cannot alleviate. There is no stain from Our prior sin and our prior life, even that we commit yesterday or will commit tomorrow, there is no stain that Jesus cannot wash away. There is no past that Jesus cannot renew. There is no enemy that Jesus as our Savior, as our Savior King, cannot defeat. But there is more to this.

Jesus puts His name upon us. He gives to us His name as our bridegroom. In Numbers 6, you probably have that benediction memorized by now. What is that? What is that benediction?

In Numbers we read, "...you shall put My name on the children of Israel, and I will bless them. To have God's name put upon us as it is in the benediction is that the Lord will bless us. And you notice that passage in Leviticus 6, that benediction, that uses the name Jehovah, His name. I'm sorry, it's in numbers. It's in Leviticus.

Jehovah bless you and keep you. Jehovah make his face to shine upon you Jehovah Lift up his countenance upon you and so That the priest was to put God's name on His people and God said, and I will bless them. In Chronicles Solomon prayed, if my people which are called by my name, my people which are called by my name, my people which are called by my name. God's name is put upon us. If they humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear them and save them.

But here, here's something even more special. Jeremiah 23 verse 5 says, Behold the days are coming, says the Lord, and what is that? It's all caps, so what does that mean? That's Jehovah, that's God's name. That I will raise up unto David a righteous branch, and a king shall reign and prosper, and shall execute judgment and justice on the earth.

In his days Judah will be saved, and Israel will dwell in safety. In the days of this righteous branch, this King who is called Jesus, Jehovah saves. Judah will be saved, Israel will dwell safely, and this is His name whereby He will be called Jehovah, our righteousness. Jesus is called Jehovah, our righteousness. Jesus whose name means Jehovah saves.

But in Jeremiah 33 we read, In those days Judah will be saved, and Jerusalem shall dwell safely. Zach's same phrase. Judah will be saved, Jerusalem will dwell safely, and This is the name wherewith she will be called, who? God's people. And what is that name?

Jehovah our righteousness. This is the name that Judah and Jerusalem, that God's people would be called in that day. Jehovah our righteousness. Jehovah Jesus is our righteousness. Jesus has come to save His people from their sins and that His name means Jehovah saves.

Almighty Heavenly Father, we thank You, we praise you and bless you that you have come to save us from our sins. That your name means Jehovah saves. Jehovah your covenant name. Jehovah the one who is abounding in loving kindness and tender mercy. Jehovah, our righteousness.

That we who are sinners, who have corrupted ourselves, who have gone astray, speaking lies from the womb, that we should be made righteous. Father, what a wonderful salvation you have accomplished for us. We thank you with all of our heart and all of our mind and all of our soul and all of our strength and our whole being. We dedicate to you as a living sacrifice and ask that you would receive us as your redeemed people. Those who are called by your name, those whom you have saved, those upon whom you have set whom you have set your love, and those to whom you promise every spiritual blessing in Jesus Christ.

Thank you. Amen.