The Names of God's Son, Part 1 (Just Jesus Evangelistic Campaign, Day 21)

TEXT: Matthew 1:18-21:

Most parents take the naming of their children very seriously. In fact, nowadays, there is an entire "baby name business." A recent Wall Street Journal article describes one set of parents who paid a numerologist $475 to ensure their baby's name had positive associations, and another set of parents who paid $50 to have 15 pages worth of baby-name suggestions drawn up by experts. Research has suggested that a child's name can have positive or negative effects on his or her life. People in Biblical times certainly thought so as well. A child's name was meant to be a reflection of their character and destiny, and often a person's name was changed if their character or destiny changed. In Scripture, we see several times where God changed a person's name in order for it to coincide with the plans He had for them.