Note: This Sermon was given at St John’s Lutheran Church, Topeka, Kansas
In the name of Jesus. Amen.
Names have meanings. Was there a reason your parents gave you your name? Are you named after a parent or a grant-parent or someone in the family? Are you named after a person in the Bible? Are you named after some famous athlete or celebrity? Names have meaning. Do you fulfill the meaning of your name?
In the Bible, names always mean something. Take the name Adam. It means “man” or “mankind,” and it is closely related to the word for “ground” or “earth” reminding us that Adam was formed from the dust of the ground.
Names mean something in the Bible, and this is also true of Satan, or the devil. He disguised himself as a serpent and tempted the woman to eat the forbidden fruit. The name devil means “slanderer” or “liar.” And this is exactly what he did. He slandered God by telling lies about Him. He told the woman that she would not die if she ate the forbidden fruit. She ate, and she gave some to her husband, and he ate bringing sin and death into our world.
After the fall into sin, God made a promise. He promised to send a Savior who would defeat Satan. Adam called his wife “hawwah” because she would be the mother of all the living, especially pointing ahead to the promised Savior who would bring life out of death.
Abraham is another example. His name means “father of many nations.” God promised Abraham that the Savior would come from his family line. Abraham believed, and God regarded Abraham as righteous through faith in God’s promise. To confirm His covenant promise, God instituted circumcision. Every male child was to be circumcised on the eighth day, and on that day the child received his name.
God Himself has a name. He revealed His own personal name to Moses on Mount Horeb. God said to Moses “I am who I am.” God also said to Moses, “Say this to the people of Israel: ‘Yahweh’ has sent me to you” meaning “I am and I will be.” In most English Bibles, Yahweh is translated as “LORD.”
The name Joshua means “Yahweh is salvation” or “The LORD saves.” Joshua led the children of Isreal across the Jordan River and into the Promised Land. Gone were the 40 years in the wilderness. Gone were the days of eating manna and quail. A new day had dawned upon the children of Israel. They crossed over into a land flowing with milk and honey.
At God’s right time, the Son of God was conceived by the Holy Spirit in the womb of the virgin Mary. The angel told Mary that she was to name the child Jesus. And the angel told Joseph, “You shall call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins” (Matt 1:21).
On that silent and holy night, Mary gave birth to the Savior. He is God in human flesh. On the eighth day, He was circumcised and was given the name Jesus. Jesus means, “the LORD saves.” His name doesn’t mean, “The Lord condemns” or “the Lord is angry with you” or “The Lord threatens you.” Rather, his name is Jesus—“The Lord saves.” His name and his mission go together.
What does he save us from? He saves us from our sins.
What sins have you committed this past year? Have you sinned in thought, word, and deed? Have you fallen short of the glory of God? Have you loved the Lord your God with all of your heart, soul and mind? Have you avoided what displeases Him? Have you relied on Him for help in every need?
We are all sinners and we all need a Savior. We cannot save ourselves. We cannot appease the wrath of God by our works. We cannot reconcile ourselves to God. We have lots of problems and we need help. We need a Savior from our sins, from eternal damnation, and from the devil. And Jesus is the Savior we need.
How did Jesus save you? He shed His blood when he was circumcised. He put himself under the law. He obeyed the law perfectly. He was your substitute. St Paul says, “I tell you that anyone who is circumcised has become a debtor to obey the whole law” (Gal 5:3). Jesus became a debtor to obey the whole law, and He kept it perfectly for you. He was your substitute taking your place under the law.
How did Jesus save you? He saved you by dying upon the cross. Jesus first shed blood during his circumcision, but he also shed blood by means of crucifixion. He was also your substitute taking your place on the cross. There on the cross He made the perfect payment for the sin of the whole world not with gold or silver but with His holy precious blood and with His innocent suffering and death.
On the third day, He rose from the dead and He lives forevermore. He defeated our enemies of death and the devil.
Your baptism connects you to Christ’s death and resurrection. Your sins were drowned and died, then a new man came out alive in Christ Jesus (Col 2:10-13). Baptism is a putting off of the old man and it is a putting on of the new man which was created according to God in righteousness and true holiness (Eph 4:22). In baptism, you were clothed with the robe of Christ’s righteousness.
Both circumcision and baptism involve infants. The difference, however, is that Baptism is greater. It is for both male and female, infant and adult, Jew and Gentile. It is for all nations.
Names have meaning. Who are you? You have a name given to you by your parents. But you have another name given to you by God. In baptism, God name you Christian. That means you belong to Christ. What is His is also yours including righteous, innocence, purity and eternal life.
Who are you? You belong to an earthly family, but through your Baptism you have been adopted into the family of your heavenly Father. You are a child of God. This identity gives your life purpose and meaning. God loves you, and His love will never cease. You live for Him, reflecting Christ in your life. You have faith toward God and you freely love the neighbor.
You are a child of God, a Christian and this never ends. He doesn’t stop loving you. He doesn’t stop forgiving you. He doesn’t stop having mercy on you. This was true back in 2025 and it will remain true in 2026 and forever.
Dearly beloved in the Lord, your journey to heaven will not be easy. Your faith will be tested. You will undergo various trials and tribulations. You will wrestle against an unbelieving world and the devil himself. And yet, these things will not separate you from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.
By God’s grace, walk by faith in His promises and not by what you see or feel. Make church your highest priority in life. Repent of your sin and receive the forgiveness of sins. Hear God’s Word preached and receive the Lord’s Supper. God uses the Gospel and the Sacrament to nurture and strengthen you faith in Christ.
By God’s grace, fix your eyes on Jesus. Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things (Col 3:1-2). Press on toward the goal of heaven. Look forward to what lies ahead. Run with perseverance the race that is set before you, looking to Jesus, the author and perfecter of your faith (Heb 12:102).
On your journey to heaven, Christ leads you on His path of righteousness, and you gladly follow. When you will walk through the valley of the shadow of death, you will fear no evil because Christ has opened heaven for you and for all who believe.
But while you remain here on earth, Christ is with you in His Word and Sacrament. He is your refuge and strength a very present help in trouble. He is your light in the midst of darkness. He is your one and only Savior. He saved you from sin and death.
Thanks be to God. Amen.
