The precious name of Jesus is fragrant in the extreme. Everything about His person is fragrant, but His precious name holds a charm that no other has. The angel gave this precious name before He was born, and it embodies both His personal worth and excellence, and the wonder of the work that He was to accomplish. The name Jesus, means ‘Jehovah the Saviour’, and the angel told that He would save His people from their sins, thus was revealed before His birth, both who He was, and what He would do. John Newton, (the former slave trader) wrote the following lovely words;

1). How sweet the name of Jesus sounds

In a believer’s ear;

It soothes his sorrows. Heals his wounds,

And drives away his fear.

2). It makes the wounded spirit whole.

It calms the troubled breast;

‘Tis manna to the hungry soul,

And to the weary rest.

3). Blest name the rock on which we build,

Our shield and hiding place;

Our never failing treasury filled

With boundless stores of grace.

4). Jesus our Saviour, Shepherd, Friend,

Thou Prophet, Priest and King,

Our Lord, our Life, our Way, our End,

Accept the praise we bring.

These lovely words convey so much, and move our hearts to worship and adore His precious Person.

He is the great Creator, and also the sustainer of all. Co-equal with the Father and the Holy Spirit, in essential eternal deity, yet in that act of wondrous grace, He humbled Himself, and deigned to clothe Himself with our humanity. Having become Man. He was the only Perfect Man, and thus surpassed every other man. He the Great Eternal Jehovah, having become man, was Man as God ever intended man to be. His life in the human sense, was quite short, as He only lived thirty three years, but during that time, right from the manger to the cross, he was absolutely perfect, and sinless. Every thing about Him was absolutely fragrant, and beautiful. His words, His ways, His actions, and His motives were absolutely fragrant and pure.

Peter tells us that He went about doing good. Every act, every deed of His was perfect. There was kindness in all of His actions. But though what He did during those thirty-three and a half years was so perfect and fragrant in itself, yet it never secured our salvation. It was what He did on the cross during those three hours of darkness that secured our salvation. There He paid the price for our sins; there He shed His precious blood, there He gave His precious life for me. Do you wonder that I love Him?

As if it was not enough for Him to die for me, now He lives for me, and ever lives to make intercession for me. Not only did He save me from the guilt of my sins, and from the judgement that I (they) deserved, but also now He ever lives to save me from the power of indwelling sin. Daily He saves me, and all who are truly His own, from their sins. When in prayer I draw near to God, and breathe that lovely name, then God finds great pleasure, and imputes to me the fragrance of that name.

Neither is this all, but the very same Holy Spirit, in whose power He was able to live such a fragrant life, now lives in me, and daily He seeks to conform me to Christ, to reproduce His character in my life, and in measure to exude the same fragrance, for the Father’s joy and delight.

Let us then gladly take this fragrant name on our lips, in joyful testimony to lost men, and also let us never fail, (when ever the opportunity is given) to breathe that lovely name in prayer and in worship. Soon every knee shall bow to Him. Soon every tongue will confess that He is Lord, to the Glory of God the Father. We love to bow the knee to Him now, having our hearts conquered by Him and His wonderful love. We love to bow the knee in adoration. But there are those who under the influence of Satan God’s archenemy, refuse to bow their knees, or to confess His supremacy or His authority, but they also with the powers that have corrupted them, out of fear will tremble before Him, and they also will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord.

Let us also be careful to give Him the full honour that is His due. Let us ever remember that He is Our Lord Jesus Christ. I say this because there are so many today who simply address His as Jesus, just as they would address any other person by their personal name. May we always remember that Jesus Christ is the Lord of Lords, and the King of Kings.