The Name that is Greater than any Other Name

More Release Time...and I've got a bunch more to blog here after this one.

Philippians 2:5-11

5 Think of yourselves the way Christ Jesus thought of himself. 6 He had equal status with God but didn't think so much of himself that he had to cling to the advantages of that status no matter what. 7 Not at all. When the time came, he set aside the privileges of deity and took on the status of a slave, became human! 8 Having become human, he stayed human. It was an incredibly humbling process. He didn't claim special privileges. Instead, he lived a selfless, obedient life and then died a selfless, obedient death—and the worst kind of death at that: a crucifixion.

9 Because of that obedience, God lifted him high and honored him far beyond anyone or anything, ever, 10 so that all created beings in heaven and on earth—even those long ago dead and buried—will bow in worship before this Jesus Christ, 11 and call out in praise that he is the Lord of all, to the glorious honor of God the Father. MSG / The Message

• What does your name mean?
• Why do you suppose your parents chose your name?
• Do you think your name fits you?

God's Word, the Bible tells us a great many different names for God. By reading the Bible, we can discover special names for God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit. Today we're going to look at some of the names for Jesus Christ, God's Son. As you think about and talk about these names, remember that any name that God calls himself always tells about Go; God's name always tells us who God is and what God does.

Here are some of Jesus' names, with a place in the Bible we can find that name. Look up the Bible reference and try to figure out why we call Jesus by that name:

• Son of God: John 1:34
• Lamb of God: John 1:29
• Messiah: John 1:41
• I Am: John 8:58
• Light of the World: John 8:12
• The Way: John 14:6; also "Truth" and "Light" in this verse
• Savior: 2 Peter 2:20; also "Lord" and "Christ" in this verse
• Jesus: Matthew 1:21
• King of Kings and Lord of Lords: Revelation 19:16
• The Resurrection and the Life: John 11:25

Which of these is your favorite name for Jesus? Why?

Did you know that each one of these names tells us something about the way in which God acts in and through his Son, Jesus Christ, in relationship to our everyday lives? What do these names for Jesus mean for us, in each of our lives? They tell us how Jesus acts in our lives as individuals and in our lives as the community of God's people, the church. They tell us how God in Christ changes our lives so we can be faithful to the names he gives to us.

In a later lesson on we'll talk about some of God's names for us, the people of God. Because Jesus was faithful to God's plan for his life, we're able to be faithful to God's plans for our lives.