Seeking for the help of the Lord, I direct your prayerful attention to Psalm 72. Psalm 72 and reading for our text, verse 17. His name shall endure forever. His name shall be continued as long as the sun. And men shall be blessed in Him. all nations shall call him blessed. Psalm 72 and verse 17.

This psalm is a beautiful psalm wall pointing not to Solomon, though it is a psalm for Solomon, but the greater than Solomon, the one that our Lord said, behold a greater than Solomon, is here. There's many beautiful things that are set forth in this psalm that could only be ascribed to our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ.

We think of the prophecies of, He shall judge thy people with righteousness, thy poor with judgment. The mountains shall bring peace to the people, little hills buy righteousness. They shall fear thee as long as the sun and moon endure throughout all generations. This is speaking of one greater than Solomon.

Verse 11, Yea, all kings shall fall down before him, all nations shall serve him. In a small measure, Solomon was blessed with that, but this one that is forever and ever is pointing to our Lord. Verse 12, He shall deliver the needy when the cryeth the poor also, and him that hath no helper. These are beautiful things that are spoken of the Lord.

Verse 18, Blessed be the Lord God, the God of Israel, who only doeth wondrous things. Blessed be His glorious name. forever let the whole earth be filled with his glory amen and amen and yet we read in the proverbs proverbs chapter 30 and verse 4 who hath ascended up into heaven or descended who hath gathered the wind in his fists who hath bound the waters in a garment who hath established or the ends of the earth, what is his name? And what is his son's name? If thou canst tell.

Right through the Old Testament, there was that desire to know the name of the seed of the woman, of the Messiah. And those like Jacob who wrestled with the angel, those like Gideon, those like Manoah, They asked after the name of the angel, the pre-incarnation time of our Lord Jesus Christ. And in one time it was said, wherefore askest thou after my name, seeing it is secret, or wonderful. But it was secret.

And so then when we come to the opening chapter of the New Testament, His name shall be called Jesus. It's a beautiful, sudden change from all of the secrecy, as it were, of the Old Testament, and yet His name is right through the Old Testament. But a special mention, a precious name, is in the name of Jesus as we have sung.

But what is upon my spirit this evening is to speak of his name, what is said of his name. And you will see in our text that there are three things that are mentioned concerning his name. First, what is said of his name. The first part of the text, his name shall endure forever, his name shall be continued as long as the sun. Do you want to look at that?

Now, first point, what is said of His name? When we're saying His name, we're thinking of the eternal Son of God, the second person of the Trinity in coming to this world, what His name was as given. But secondly, what is done for us through His name? Our text goes on, and men shall be blessed in Him. That is what shall be done for us, for men, in Christ and through His name.

And then lastly, in the last part of the text, what we are called to do in His name. All nations shall call Him blessed. They shall praise Him, they shall bless His Name. And so on to look then first, and of course what is said of His Name, this in one way is such a large subject, right the way through. The Word of God, the Name of the Son of God, the Name of the One that is coming, has been given in many different ways, many different times, And each time there's a significance in his name. And that is why I put on this point, not just what are his names, but what is said of his name. There is a meaning, a message that is joined unto his name. And so as his name is unfolded and the various names that are given to him, Really the gospel is made known, and the way of salvation is made known in Christ by those various names.

I want to go back to that name of Jesus, because this is what is so set forth in the New Testament, the testimony of Joseph, the testimony of Mary, and we read it there in Matthew 1, verse 21. She shall bring forth a son, and thou shalt call his name Jesus, for he shall save his people from their sins. So Jesus, that is Saviour. So the name that is given, and it gives immediately what is said of his name. and what he shall do to save his people from their sins. Not just save to heaven, though that is the great blessing, the end of salvation, but here below, sin shall not have dominion over you. The Lord himself delivering his people that will remain sinners until their dying day. They'll have trouble with their sins, their besetting sins. Their sins will be a plague to them. But it is the Lord Jesus Christ who delivers from the power and dominion of sin, from the guilt of sin, and his precious blood blotting out that sin. And it's good for us. I love this verse because it tells us that he has a people, he shall save his people. It tells us that his people are sinners, otherwise he couldn't save them from their sins. And it says that he will save us from our sins.

And this precious name then is even further extolled when we come to the epistles, Paul writing to the Philippians especially, very beautiful in Philippians chapter two, and where he has given him that name, how that he was in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God, but made himself of no reputation, took upon him the form of a servant, was made in the likeness of men, and being found in fashion as a man. I mean, that in itself is humbled enough. Almighty God made flesh and made man, but being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross. Wherefore God also hath highly exalted him, given him a name which is above every name, and then the name is given again, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven and things in earth, things under the earth.

To have this revealed, this is a New Testament revealing of the name of the beloved Son of God, and the testimony setting it forth is a name above every name unto you which believe he is precious we see not yet all things put under him but we see jesus we think of the mount of the transfiguration there was moses there was elias there was the lord jesus christ you have the prophets you have moses the law you have the lord and then they saw no man but jesus only come to fulfill the prophecies to obey the law, fulfill the law, and to make satisfaction for that broken law, and all we see then is the Lord Jesus Christ. It's a precious name. What is said of the name of Jesus flows right through the scriptures of truth. Many precious things said. Then we have in the prophecy of Jeremiah, we have two exulcations, one that is in Jeremiah 23, and the other one in 33. The one in 23 is speaking of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. This is the name wherewith he shall be called, and then it is in capitals, the Lord our righteousness.

Jeremiah 33, it is the same, but this is the name where with she shall be called, that is the church of God is given the same name as our Lord, as a surname. And it is what she shall be called, that is in lower case, the Lord our righteousness. The righteousness of the Lord Jesus Christ is what the church is covered with and what the church shall stand faultless before the throne at the last day. And so it is a beautiful name of the Lord, a name that is inseparably joined with the church and so vital in salvation, the Lord, our righteousness.

Then we have in Isaiah 47, the Lord spoken of, and I believe this is one that again clearly sets forth the divinity of our Lord Jesus Christ and his work. We have in 47 and verse 4, As for our Redeemer, the Lord of hosts is his name, the Holy One of Israel. So he's given his name, the Holy One of Israel, The Lord of Hosts is his name, but he's set forth as our Redeemer. The Lord Jesus Christ is that Redeemer that shall come to Zion. And so he's referring not to the Father, but to the Son. If you've seen me, you've seen my Father also. The Lord Jesus Christ is he that those on the way to Emmaus They said, we trusted it should have been he that should have redeemed Israel. They had a clear view that this was what he was to do. And so his name is also his redeemer, but here the Lord of Hosts is his name.

Then we have in going back in Isaiah to the beautiful verse in Isaiah 9, where not only one name, but many names are given. In Isaiah 9 verse 6, for unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given, and the government shall be upon his shoulder. So what is said first of his name is put forth there, and then what his name is called, which each one again gives a work of the Lord Jesus Christ. His name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, the Mighty God, the Everlasting Father, the Prince of Peace. And he's put his name, not his names, but his name, and yet each one is a distinct part And again, it's setting forth that He is the mighty God. He is the everlasting Father, the great mystery of godliness, God manifest in the flesh, the Trinity, Father, Son, and Holy Ghost of the increase of His government and peace. There shall be no end upon the throne of David and upon his kingdom to order it and to establish it with judgment. With justice from henceforth, even forever, the seal of the Lord of hosts will perform this.

And then a couple of chapters before that, we have the beautiful name of Emmanuel set forth in Isaiah 7 and verse 14. Therefore, the Lord himself shall give you a sign, Behold, a virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and shall call his name Emmanuel. We have that explained in Matthew 1. Emmanuel, that is, God with us. Great mystery, how that God, that we cannot comprehend his greatness. Think of the sun, the moon, and the stars. We cannot comprehend him that hath no beginning or an end, the vastness, the greatness of God, the holiness of God. And yet in the Lord Jesus Christ, we see his beginning upon earth, his birth. We see his death, his sufferings, his ascension up into heaven. In a way, the whole coming upon this earth for man, it gives man Instead of having to look at things which are eternal, no beginning or no end, it gives a beginning, it gives an end. God manifests in the flesh that time when he was to come. The condescension of God to give our poor finite minds that ability to view God himself. If you have seen me, you've seen the Father also. to actually see Emmanuel, God manifest in the flesh. Solomon, he said, that will God in very day dwell upon the earth. The heaven of heavens cannot contain him. How much less this house that I builded. He wondered at how it could be so. And there's this wonder is set forth to us. and really revealed in this name, and then interpreted in the New Testament.

Another name that our Lord delighted to use was the Son of Man. And when He forgave sins, He said that He might know that the Son of Man hath power on earth to forgive sins. He said to the man sick of the palsy that he had said to him, thy sins be forgiven thee, take up thy bed and walk. And he did so. But the Son of Man, you might say, well, is not he the Son of God? Yes, he is. But in the Son of Man, he is set forth being made man, the second Adam, the promised seed, the blessings that rest upon him as he became bone of our bone and flesh of our flesh. And as he became a near kinsman, not tainted at all with sin, but having a right to redeem his people. It's vital that he be that near kinsman like Boaz was unto Ruth.

Then we have in John 8, we have the Lord speaking of himself as the I Am. Remember the burning bush that God revealed himself to Moses and Moses wanted to know again his name they shall ask who is it that has sent me and what is his name i am that i am has sent you and so our lord jesus christ speaks of himself when they said that they are not yet 50 years of age are there greater Then Abraham, how canst thou be greater than Abraham? He said before, Abraham was, I am. And he uses that word many times. We think of John 10, many times in that chapter, I am, I am the good shepherd. And it's a beautiful title. Again, it cannot be said of any man that he is the I am, Always the same, never changing, but this title, this name is given to our Lord. And then one last one in the Revelation, the first chapter of Revelation, I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the ending. The Lord Jesus Christ is set forth in that chapter. The whole of the Revelation is a revelation of our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ, it sets him forth, it shows him forth. He is the beginning and the ending.

These names, just a few of them, there are many more in the Word of God, and you may search them at your leisure, but when a name is given, it is what is said of his name, what is joined with that. We might give a name to children, Maybe it is, there is a reason for that. Samuel, the last of God. And there's a meaning joined with it. But very often there's not. We just like the name and we just give that name. There might be a name, a reason associated with it. But in scripture all the time, wherever our Lord and Savior has been given a name, That name is of great significance and significance for us as sinners. And the more that we know His name and what it means, then the more precious it will be to us to realize all these things were done for the salvation of God's people and so that men might better understand what the beloved Son of God came to do and the significance of His work. I want to look then secondly at that done through His name. Our text in the second part of it says, and men shall be blessed in Him. Joining together of the Lord Jesus Christ and men. And that men that are sinners men, women, children, they shall be blessed in Him. As the Lord was blessed, so they will be blessed. As they are joined to Him, they shall receive the blessings that come forth from Him.

We mentioned about Him being the Redeemer. What is redemption? That is what He came to do. to redeem his people, to save them, to set them free. We think of those in Egyptian bondage. And it's a beautiful illustration, really. We can picture them as a nation, and they're groaning in bondage. They're captives. They can't be set free. And that is highlighted by all the signs and wonders that had no effect in setting them free until the blood was shed, and then they were set free. And then they were brought out. What hand did they have in their deliverance? None at all. None at all.

You might say, well, yes, it was, they obeyed. They killed the lamb, they sprinkled the doorpost, they sheltered. In that way, yes, by obedience. But we think of the Lord Jesus Christ, he was the paschal lamb. He laid down His own life, no man took it from Him. And it is in that that is a beautiful picture of redemption. We are as in much captivity as Israel was. We are in much bondage. We cannot set ourselves free. We are in the same helpless condition. But the Lord Jesus Christ came to redeem and to set free.

If the Son shall make you free, You shall be free indeed, to deliver us from Satan's snares, from his grip, from his hold, from the world and the things of him. And no soul that is redeemed and set free in that way, they're not deceived by the world anymore. Vanity of vanity, saith the preacher, all is vanity. Satan, when he tempts, they see past those temptations. They turn to love the things that God loves, hate the things that He hates. They're brought to worship like the children of Israel out of Egypt. They didn't just go into the wilderness. They turned to worship the Lord. It's not just on neutral ground. They're redeemed from sin to serve and to obey the Lord.

The Lord said to those that believed on Him, that if ye continue in my word, ye shall be my disciples indeed. But the work of our Lord, he did not die to redeem himself. He did not lay down his life for himself. He laid down his life for the sheep, for his brethren, for his people, particular redemption that's taught right through the word of God.

When the children of Israel went out of Egypt, it was the first born that were redeemed. If there wasn't the bloodshed, they would have been the ones slain. And so when they went into the wilderness, you can read this in Numbers 3. Then the Levites, which were the tribe which were to be the Lord's tribe, the Lord's portion, they had to number the Levites. number the firstborn of Israel, and the Levites redeemed those of the firstborn. And where there were more, and there were more firstborn than Levites, then they had to pay five shekels apiece for their ransom.

It was one for one. It wasn't just an indistinct, and you find this through Proverbs as well, a just weight, a just balance. It wasn't just an amount of money paid or redemption paid, and whoever decides to believe and accept that they can be saved. No, the Lord knew for whom he died, for whose debt he paid, for whom his blood was shed, and they had been redeemed at Calvary, everyone from the beginning of the world to the end, and in time, through being called by grace, they will be redeemed by the work of the Spirit, by the quickening operation of the Holy Ghost, quickened into divine life, and set free from the bondage of this world and sin.

This is what the Lord Jesus Christ has done, as men shall be blessed in Him, men shall be redeemed in him, and through his name they shall be set free. The Son shall make you free, you shall be free indeed.

When John finishes his gospel, then before the second last chapter, he gives the reason why these things are written, he says, but these are written that ye might believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that believing ye might have life through his name. This is one of the things that is set forth that men shall be blessed through his name by being given life. I give unto them eternal life, They shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of mine hand." Our life is bound up in the Lord Jesus Christ, the eternal God. It's where we see the joining with the man and the eternal God in one person, that that life that is blessed is a never-ending life, an eternal life.

Another blessing that is blessed in him is that the Holy Comforter is given. Our Lord speaks of this in John 14 and verse 26. He says what he will do and the people to be blessed in him. But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance whatsoever I have said unto you. The Father will send in my name. I will pray the Father. He will give you another comforter which shall abide with you forever. And so that blessed in the Lord Jesus Christ is in the gift of the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit is vital. The Bible, we have the inspired word of God through him. We have the power attending the Word, tarry at Jerusalem until ye be endued with power from on high. We have then, as we had this morning, the blessing of hope, the Holy Ghost giving the power to hope for a poor sinner, to hope in His name. And so this then is another blessing that is through and in His name.

When Paul writes to the Ephesians, he says of them that they are accepted in the Beloved or accepted in His name. In the first chapter of Ephesians, he says in verse 6, to the praise of the glory of His grace wherein He hath made us accepted in the Beloved. That acceptance is absolutely vital. "'Tis He instead of me is seen when I approach to God." It's why in all our prayers we come through the name of the Lord Jesus Christ. We plead that name. If He asks anything in my name, I will do it. And sinners then are blessed in Him, blessed in His name. We sung of this. that how that he shall take out a people for his name amongst the Gentiles. And that is a blessed promise that he has made. And then our text, it says, all nations shall be blessed in him. We'll look at this in our third point. But this is what the Lord has done, has blessed not just the Jews, but also the Gentiles. It is other sheep I have which are not of this fold, them also I must bring. The waters shall flow from Jerusalem, half toward the hinder sea, half toward the former sea. In summer and winter shall this be, those living waters as seen in Ezekiel. And that is the gospel, and it flows through all of the world. It's lovely to hear, when we hear of the reports of the missionaries, how the Lord is working in other parts of the world in remarkable ways. I want to look then thirdly at that which shall be our part, as it were, what we are called to do.

Now Teg says, all nations shall call This must have been strange for the Jews to read words like this and in the Isaiah as well. And we think of the apostles who must have known the Old Testament scriptures quite well. And yet, even 10 years after Pentecost, they still struggled. When Peter went in to Cornelius's house, when the equivalent of Pentecost, when the Holy Spirit first fell, on the Gentiles, but the apostles, they struggled to accept that. They asked him to explain his actions. Why did you go in to men uncircumcised, go into the Gentiles?

But Peter was able to explain the matter from the beginning, how God had ordered it, and he was able also to do a first-hand comparison between when the Holy Spirit was given to the Jews at Pentecost and when it was given to the Gentiles. Because although Saul of Tarsus, Paul, was the apostle to the Gentiles, God did not use him to first bring the Spirit to the Gentiles. He used Peter so that there could not be a division between Jew and Gentile in that way. Both had been blessed with the same Spirit Both had had the same man used, and that same man had witnessed and was able to say that the Holy Spirit fell on them as on us at the beginning. And it wasn't by report, he'd actually seen it and known it.

And so, it must be, been a difficult thing, one of the puzzles of the Old Testament as to how it should be. that all nations shall call him blessed, when at the time of the Old Testament we have, you only hath I known of all nations in the earth, and they were God's peculiar or special people.

What is it then that we are called to? All nations shall call him Blessed. The text begins it, gives us the very first thing, that shall be. We shall call him blessed. What a difference than the beginning of Isaiah 53. He is a root out of dry ground, no form nor comeliness that we should desire him. And yet he is a people of all nations, kindred and tongue, that shall call him blessed. They shall see a beauty, a blessedness, a loveliness in the Lord.

If that is so, with you and I, that is the work of the Lord to do that. If we are to call him blessed, it's not just because we're told to, but it's because we can know the benefits and blessings that we have had through him as in the middle of the verse. And when we have known that, then it is that we'll bless his name.

Those that the Lord worked miracles in, those that he healed, they blessed him. They extolled his name. They spake well of him, the man that was born blinded. And one thing I know, whereas I was blind, now I see. And the Jews, they tried and tried to take it from him, tried to make him say something against the Lord, but no, he wouldn't. The more they went on at him, the more he spoke well of him and blessed him.

We think of the text on the chapel outside here. We like to have the Psalm 100, or part of it, the latter part, of the psalm, and the words of these on the front door and on our website.

Enter into his gates with thanksgiving and into his courts with praise. Be thankful unto him and bless his name. For the Lord is good, his mercy is everlasting, and his truth endureth to all generations. We have in verse four, and bless his name. May that always be what we desire to do as we gather in the house of the Lord to bless His name.

And also as a real reminder, this is not just old truths or out of date. And people say, well, this is the 21st century now. Those things that they used to do years ago, that's out of fashion now. Not good to follow that, but it's good to be reminded every time we come into the house of God that His mercy is everlasting. No, it doesn't wear out. And His truth endureth to all generations. There will not come a generation that that truth is not applicable to and cannot be a blessing to. Remember that. The world changes, but God will have His people. on this earth right to the end. The only reason why the earth remains is because there are those to be born or those to be born again. When the last one is born again of the Spirit, then the world will end. There's no reason for it to continue. And so there is a blessing, a blessing upon His name again and His truth.

but also to call upon his name. If we stayed with the Psalms in Psalm 105, then we have the Psalm beginning, I give thanks unto the Lord, call upon his name, make known his deeds among the people. And so when we pray, it is not just praying, it's not just coming before him, we are, but we call upon his name. And that gives honor and glory too. Whatsoever you ask in my name, I will do it, and I will give it to you.

Then there is the preaching. We're gathered together to preach the word of God, and we would think of the commission that was given at the end of the gospel according to Luke, And that repentance and remission of sins, this is Luke 24, verse 47, should be preached in his name among all nations, beginning at Jerusalem. And often I like to, when you have a verse like this, think, well, what if we were to leave part of it out? Does it still make sense? and that repentance and remission of sins should be preached among all nations beginning at Jerusalem." Maybe if you hadn't got your Bibles, you'd think, well, that flowed nicely. That's all right. But we left out in his name. And that puts really an emphasis on why is that put in? Because that is absolutely vital. There is no repentance. He is exalted to give. repentance and remission of sins unto Israel. It is only in his name that we shall be blessed.

And the preaching apostle Paul, he says, determined to know nothing among you save Jesus Christ and him crucified. And all he was setting forth was that one name given among men whereby we must be saved. And that then is the commission. It's inseparable to the name of our Lord, is our preaching. What is vital is that there be repentance. Repentance is a turning, turning from sin, a turning from the world, turning from our old course and turning unto the Lord. And where there is that repentance, joined to that is remission of sins. If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. The gift of repentance is a gospel gift through the Lord Jesus Christ. And we, as ministers, and right through to the end of the world, this is what we are exhorted to do, commanded to do. All nations shall call him blessed. And certainly in the preaching of the gospel, he is to be lifted up and he is to be blessed. We think of the exhortation given to the House of Cornelius as the gospel was preached to them, that whosoever shall believe in his name, that they shall be saved. His name is lifted up to those that believe in that name. Of course, the Jews, when they crucified the Lord, they said, well, Jesus of Nazareth, we don't believe he is the Messiah. We don't believe he is the promised one that should come. They crucified him as an imposter.

But when those like the eunuch was to be baptized after Philip had preached unto him Jesus, again the name, setting him forth in Isaiah 53, he was asked, if thou believest, thou must. Leave us with all thine heart thou most. And he says, I believe that Jesus is the Son of God. And he is setting forth his belief in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ.

And it is then that if we believe, it's not just a believing. So solemn in this land, there's many that think they can believe in anything or be saved in any way. But our Lord said, there is none other name given among men whereby we must be saved. If you believe not that I am he, you shall perish in your sins.

The apostle Paul was persecuting those that called upon the name of Jesus. And then when he was converted, he himself was calling upon that same name. So Ananias was told Behold, he prayeth. And he was praying and calling upon the name of the Lord.

He mentioned, you see, that work that the Lord shall do in gathering the Gentiles and that they shall trust in his name. But that is another thing, that all nations shall be blessed or shall call him blessed and They shall trust in His name. It's a great way of extolling someone if we are trusting in them. If we don't trust in them, that's not saying much of them, is it? But if our trust is in the Lord, we are calling Him blessed, worthy of our trust, worthy of our reliance upon Him.

In Hebrews, we are set forth that we are to give thanks in His name. Everything we're giving, every blessing, says the hymn writer, comes to us in Jesus' precious blood. And Paul says that all the promises of God are yea and amen in Him. Have we had promises? Have they been fulfilled? Have we been blessed with things? Those things come to us. They are blood-bought blessings through the Lord Jesus Christ.

So when we give thanks, we give thanks in His name. We give the glory due unto His name. And as Paul exhorts in his epistle to the Colossians, chapter three, verse 17, that whatsoever ye do in word and deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ.

His name is worthy to be praised, and so when we have A text like this, we have that which is said of His name. His name shall endure forever. His name shall be continued as long as the sun. And we have what is done for us through His name. Then shall be blessed in Him. And then we have what we are called to do. in his name as all nations shall call him blessed.

And may we be amongst those, amongst all nations that call him blessed. We read that in his temple, everyone does speak of his glory. In the world, they only seek to cast him down from his excellency. But may we be amongst those.