WHAT DID JESUS CALL HIMSELF?

WISDOM FOR LIVING DAILY DEVOTIONAL

NOVEMBER 14, 2022

TOPIC: WHAT DID JESUS CALL HIMSELF?

BY T. O. BANSO

“And she will bring forth a Son, and you shall call His name JESUS, for He will save His people from their sins’” (Matthew 1:21 New King James Version).

Jesus is referred to by many names and titles in the Bible. People referred to Him by different names/tiles while he also called Himself by other names/titles.

After the angel Gabriel had visited Mary and announced to her that she would become pregnant through the power of the Holy Spirit, it was so (Luke 1:35). When Joseph, her husband, found that she was pregnant, he wanted to put her away secretly because she was a just man, and didn’t want to make her a public example.

But while he thought about these things,  an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, telling him not to be afraid to take to Mary, his wife, for her pregnancy was of the Holy Spirit (Matthew 1:20). The angel further said, “And she will bring forth a Son, and you shall call His name JESUS, for He will save His people from their sins” (verse 21 New King James Version).

Jesus, the proper name of Jesus, is the Greek form of the Hebrew name Joshua, which was formerly Hoshea but Moses changed to Joshua (Numbers 13:8, 16; 13:16). From this, the Greek form, Jesus, was derived. Jesus means the Saviour. Christ which is derived from the Christos meaning the anointed or the anointed one is the Greek form of the Hebrew word, Messiah. Christ is used about five hundred and fourteen times in the New Testament. Jesus Christ means the anointed Saviour. The name Jesus Christ also distinguishes Him from other people bearing the name Jesus.

However, during His earthly ministry, people addressed Jesus in different ways and He also introduced Himself using what could be called titles. The focus of this devotional today is what Jesus called Himself. We shall look at the scriptures which record how Jesus referred to Himself starting with the most way He referred to Himself over 80 times in the New Testament, which is the Son of God. Whereas the Son of God deals with His divinity, the Son of man deals with His humanity. Jesus was fully man and fully God.

1. The Son of man. Of the over 80 times Jesus referred to Himself as the Son of man, this occurs about 30 times in Matthew.

2. The Son of God. Jesus said, “Do you say of Him whom the Father sanctified and sent into the world, ‘You are blaspheming,’ because I said, ‘I am the Son of God’?” (John 10:36 New King James Version). Jesus is both the Son of God and God. According to Him, He and the Father are one (John 10:30).

When Satan tempted Him, two times he used the phrase “If You are the Son of God” (Matthew 4:3, 6; Luke 4:3, 9). The unclean spirits/demons also called Him the Son of God (Mark 3:11; Luke 4:41).

3. The bread of life and the living bread. In John 6:35, Jesus called Himself 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” (New King James Version). In verse 48, Jesus reiterated that He was the bread of life.

Also in verse 51, He said, “I am the living bread which came down from heaven. If anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever; and the bread that I shall give is My flesh, which I shall give for the life of the world” (New King James Version).

4. The light of the world. John 8:12 says, “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’” (New King James Version). He said in John 9:5 that as long as He was in the world, he was the light of the world. Wherever Jesus is today, there is light.

5. The door of the sheep. “Then Jesus said to them again, ‘Most assuredly, I say to you, I am the door of the sheep” (John 10:7 New King James Version). Jesus is the door of the sheep. The sheep refers to His followers. He said in John 10:9, “I am the door. If anyone enters by Me, he will be saved, and will go in and out and find pasture” (New King James Version). Have you entered by Him? Salvation is only possible through Him.

6. The way, the truth, and the life. Jesus said to Thomas, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me” (John 14:6 New King James Version). There is salvation in no other, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved (Acts 4:12 )

7. The good shepherd. While the followers are called sheep, Jesus called Himself the Good shepherd. “I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd gives His life for the sheep” (John 10:11 New King James Version). He said in verse 14, “I am the good shepherd; and I know My sheep, and am known by My own” (New King James Version). The Good Shepherd laid down His life for the sheep. He died on the cross to save us. Are you following Him?

8. The resurrection and the life. Jesus said to Martha, “I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in Me, though he may die, he shall live” (John 11:25 New King James Version). That day, the resurrection and the life brought Lazarus back to life not long after this.

9. The true vine. Jesus also called Himself the true vine and His Father the vinedresser (John 15:1). He said in verse 5, “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” (New King James Version). Are you a branch in Him? Are you abiding in Him?

10. The chief cornerstone. “Jesus said to them, ‘Have you never read in the Scriptures: The stone which the builders rejected Has become the chief cornerstone. This was the LORD’S doing, And it is marvelous in our eyes’?” (Matthew 21:42 New King James Version). Here, Jesus was referring to Himself as the chief cornerstone, quoting Psalm 118:22. Mark 12:10 and Luke 20:17 record these words of Jesus on the stone which the builders rejected that has become the chief cornerstone.
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In Ephesians 2:20, Paul also referred to Jesus Christ as the chief cornerstone. In Acts 4:11, Peter referred to Jesus as the stone which was rejected by the builders (people of Israel), but which had become the chief cornerstone. Peter also said, “Therefore it is also contained in the Scripture, ‘Behold, I lay in Zion A chief cornerstone, elect, precious, And he who believes on Him will by no means be put to shame.’ Therefore, to you who believe, He is precious; but to those who are disobedient, ‘The stone which the builders rejected Has become the chief cornerstone, and ‘A stone of stumbling And a rock of offense.’ They stumble, being disobedient to the word, to which they also were appointed” (1 Peter 2:6-8 New King James Version).

The foregoing is what Jesus called Himself during His earthly ministry. In the book of Revelation, the Bible records what Jesus called Himself in the revelation that John had. This includes the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End (Revelation 1:8; 21:6), the Alpha and the Omega, the First and the Last (Revelation 1:11), the First and the last  (Revelation 1:17), and the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End, the First and the Last (Revelation 22:13).

Other names Jesus called Himself were He who lives, and was dead, and is alive forevermore (Revelation 1:18), He who holds the seven stars in His right hand, who walks in the midst of the seven golden lampstands (Revelation 2:1), He who has the sharp two-edged sword (Revelation 2:12), the Son of God, who has eyes like a flame of fire, and His feet like fine brass (Revelation 2:18), and He who has the seven Spirits of God and the seven stars (Revelation 3:1).

He also called Himself He who is holy, who is true, who has the key of David, who opens and no one will shut, and who shuts and no one opens (Revelation 3:7), the Amen, the faithful and true Witness, the Beginning of the creation of God (Revelation 3:14), and the Root and the Offspring of David, the Bright and Morning Star (Revelation 22:16).

The different names/titles of Jesus reveal the different dimensions of His character and ministry. Do you know Him? Does He know you?

TAKE ACTION!

If you are not born again, you need to give your life to Jesus now. I urge you to take the following steps: *Admit that you are a sinner and you cannot save yourself and repent of your sins. *Confess Jesus as your Lord and Saviour. *Renounce your past way of life – your relationship with the devil and his works. *Invite Jesus into your life. *As a mark of seriousness to mature in the faith, start attending a Bible-believing and Bible-teaching church. There they will teach you how to grow in the Kingdom of God.

Kindly say this prayer now: O Lord God, I come unto You today. I know I am a sinner and I cannot save myself. I believe that Jesus is the Son of God who died on the cross to save me and God raised Him on the third day. I repent of my sins and confess Jesus as my Lord and Saviour. I surrender my life to Jesus now and invite Him into my heart. By this prayer, I know I am saved. Thank You, Jesus, for saving me and making me a child of God.

I believe you have said this prayer from your heart. Congratulations! You will need to join a Bible-believing and Bible-teaching church in your area where they will teach you how to live your new life in Christ Jesus. I pray that you flourish like a palm tree and grow like a cedar of Lebanon. May you grow into Christ in all things and become all God wants you to be. I will be glad to hear from you. The Lord be with you.

PRAYER POINTS:  Holy Spirit, help me to know Jesus Christ more. Help me to know Him and the power of His resurrection, and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death. As a disciple of Jesus, I shall abide in His word; His words shall abide in me. I shall not be a branch that does not abide in Him and it is cast out, it withers, and it is thrown into the fire and is burnt.

(For over 800 in-depth and powerful messages by T. O. Banso, visit www.cedarministry.org).

T. O. Banso is the President of Cedar Ministry International, Abuja, Nigeria.
Phone No: +2348155744752, +2348033113523
WhatsApp No: +2349081295947
Email: cedarministryintl@yahoo.com,
cedarministryng@gmail.com
Website: www.cedarministry.org