Rise Up, My Love (15): Do You Cherish the Name?

Song of Solomon 1:3: “Because of the savor of thy good ointments thy name is as ointment poured forth.” Who is this one whose healing powers are so great that just hearing the sound of his name soothes our souls like a fragrant balm? It is Jesus, the one who “poured out his soul unto death” for us (Isaiah 53:12) It is the name of Jesus—the name above all names. Many names speak of power and prestige: Julius Caesar, Napoleon, Winston Churchill, Abraham Lincoln…but only one speaks of a fragrance that gushes over our spirits and mollifies our hearts “as ointment poured forth.” Jesus—because he is God and because of his superlative act of love and redemption—will someday be the name before which every knee shall bow and every tongue confess (Philippians 2:10-11).The name of Jesus… “That beautiful name, that wonderful name, the matchless name of Jesus.” Did you know that the word “name” is used 832 times in Scripture? Did you know that there is power in the very name of our God? Consider these verses:

“Through thee will we push down our enemies: through thy name will we tread them under that rise up against us” (Psalm 44:5).

“Our help is in the name of the Lord, who made heaven and earth.”           (Psalm 124:8).“Because he hath set his love upon me, therefore will I deliver him: I will set him on high, because he hath known my name” (Psalm 91:14).“The name of the LORD is a strong tower: the righteous runs into it, and is safe” (Proverbs 18:10).

The very name of our Lord has saving power. In Acts 3:6, Peter healed the lame man “in the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth.” In Acts 16:18, Paul cast out an evil spirit “in the name of Jesus Christ.” In John 14:13 Jesus promised that “whatsoever ye shall ask in my name, that will I do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son.”Do you belong to the Lord? Are you willing to be called by his name? Are you willing to be poured out like an ointment for the healing of the world?  In Acts 11:26 it was reported that the disciples in Antioch were the first to be called Christians.  The word Christians means literally “sons of Christ.” How do we become “sons of Christ?”  By living in America? I grew up thinking that everyone who lived in America was a Christian by birth. Not so. In the Gospel of John, chapters 1-3, we are taught that we become sons of God not by birth, but by rebirth. “He [Jesus] came unto his own, and his own received him not. But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to then that believe on his name” (John 1:11-12). “Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God” (John 3:3).Have you received Jesus and become a son of God by spiritual rebirth? Do you have a new name…the name Christian? Do you treasure your name? Do you understand the privileges that are yours as a son of God? We become joint-heirs with Christ (Romans 8:17) and heirs of eternal life (Titus 3:7). Our names are written in the Lamb’s Book of Life (Revelation 21-27), and we have a home being prepared for us in heaven by Jesus (John 14:2). Talk about a storybook romance! Our Prince Charming will someday literally carry us off to his castle in the sky. Why do you think  fairy tales are so appealing? It is because they echo the deepest desire of our heart and promise an ending that every soul was designed to want. The incredible thing is…this was all done by God’s plan. He made us to need and desire him. Fairy tales retell the story in every culture, but the reality is not a fairy tale. It’s really true! And, the Song of Solomon foreshadows the reality with a real king and his real bride. As Christians—the sons of God and the bride of Christ—we will sit together with Christ in heavenly places (Ephesians 2:6) and reign with him forever and ever (Revelation 22:5).

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