3.  God’s people are His people.

Israel was God’s portion—­and Joshua was but their leader for a time. 
But the people of God are the people of Christ.

The way by which we become the people of Jesus is simply by faith in
Him.

III.  The usage of the name.

It was a common Jewish name, but seems to have been almost abandoned since then by Jews from abhorrence, by Christians from reverence.

The Jewish fanatic who during the siege stalked through Jerusalem shrieking, ‘Woe to the city’, and, as he fell mortally wounded, added, ‘and to myself also,’ was a Jesus.  There is a Jesus in Colossians.

We find it as the usual appellation in the Gospels, as is natural.  But in the Epistles it is comparatively rare alone.

The reason, of course, is that it brings mainly before us the human personality of Jesus.  So when used alone in later books it emphasises this:  ‘This same Jesus shall so come’.  ’We see Jesus, made a little, etc.’

Found in frequent use by two classes of religionists—­Unitarian and Sentimental.

We should seek to get all the blessing out of it, and to dwell, taught by it, on the thoughts of His true manhood, tempted, our brother, bone of our bone.

We should beware of confining our thoughts to what is taught us by that name.  Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God.  Even with thoughts of His lovely human character let us blend thoughts of His Messianic office and of His divine nature.  We shall not see all the beauty of Jesus unless we know Him as the Christ, the Son of the Highest.

And besides the name written on His vesture and his thigh, He bears a name which no man knoweth but Himself.  Beyond our grasp is His uncommunicable name, His deep character, but near to us for our love and for our faith is all we need to know.  That name which He bore in His humiliation He bears still in His glory, and the name which is above every name, and at which every knee shall bow, is the name by which Jewish mothers called their children, and through eternity we shall call His name Jesus because He hath finally and fully saved us from our sins.

THE FIRST-FRUITS OF THE GENTILES

’Now when Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judaea in the days of Herod the king, behold, there came wise men from the east to Jerusalem, 2.  Saying, Where is He that is born King of the Jews? for we have seen His star in the east, and are come to worship Him. 3.  When Herod the king had heard these things, he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him. 4.  And when he had gathered all the chief priests and scribes of the people together, he demanded of them where Christ should be born. 5.  And they said unto him, In Bethlehem of Judaea:  for thus it is written by the prophet, 6.  And thou Bethlehem, in the land of Juda, art not the least among the princes of Juda: