Devotionals

Conquering Unchartered Territories

by Henry Jaegers 
09/05/20
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Jesus said, follow me: What happens next?

Conquering Unchartered Territories

By Henry Jaegers

“And thou shalt call His name Jesus; for He shall save His people from their sins” (Matthew 1;21)

 Have you ever considered the rich meaning of these simple words spoken to Mary that day? It is one of the most profound verses in Scripture and is often passed over through a casual reading of God's word. And this is where the importance of meditating on the word of God is so important. Let me share with you some of these wonderful truths.

the meaning of that name. "Thou shalt call his name, Jesus”. What is here in that particular name? We must go back to the Old Testament to discover what it means. Do you remember Joshua? His name used to be called O'Shea and was changed to Joshua shortly after the death of Moses. It is the name that has much to do with the future of God's people. It means "the salvation of Jehovah" and it refers to what God was about to do for the nation of Israel as they crossed over the river Jordon and were about to enter the promised land. It involved a look at the future where God, was going to not only conquer their enemies but give them individual possessions of their own. Land that was now there's that they could claim as their own. 

It was Joshua that led them in battle, brought them forth into victory, and help them to finally possess their possessions, of which they were promised. That's what that name “Jesus” means. It is the Jewish name “Yeshua”, the name given to Joshua. The salvation of Jehovah was a promise given by that name. 

Isn't it wonderful, that God chose that name for our wonderful Lord? Involved in that name is also a promise from God that we would once again dwell in territories once unconquered by the enemies of God.

 But let's go a little farther where the rest of the verse says "for he shall save their people from their sins." Have you ever considered all that these few words mean? First, it talks about the sins of the past that are like a hangover for us when we think about them and they cause us great feelings of guilt when Satan reminds us of them. But God is taking care of all of that through his blood. The blood of Jesus shed for us and satisfies the requirements of God for a perfect sacrifice, and it was only this pure, unspotted blood that could make it possible. So, it was the blood of Jesus that takes care of the sins of the past and also the sins of the future that will eventually become the sins of the past. Psalm 103 tells us they are gone, removed, forgotten, as far as the east is from the west, they are no more. God said it, and as one man said "that settles it for me”. 

But think about this! He is not only delivered us from our sins, he delivers us from our self. What? That's a new one. But think about it, that is where our problem is. It is with the “Old Man” who likes to hang around even though, most of the time, we try to ignore him. And as the blood takes care of our sins, it is the cross that takes care of the “Old Man”, the selfish cravings that still linger in our life. When Jesus said “if any man will follow me, let him take up his cross daily and follow me. That means that every day that I live, I need to put the cross to that “Old Man” who constantly is craving to be fulfilled. But that's not all.

 Consider what this verse does not say, but we know it is there due to other Scriptures. It was not enough that Joshua led them into battle, into new territory but now they were to conquer the lands that would result in total victory. It was Joshua, our Jesus, who goes before us and enters into uncharted territories and makes it possible for us to have victories that we never knew were possible. And we had just merely touched the surface here. 

 In closing, remember Caleb at 85 years old, came to Joshua and said "give me this mountain". He told Joshua, though he was 85 years old, he was still willing to go forth and conquered territories yet unclaimed. And that's what God wants to do for us. 

As we think about it, being cleansed from your sin and dealing with the “Old Man” is not all. There are yet unconquered territories that remain for us, no matter how long we have been around, if we are honest, we need our Jesus to help us not only to claim them but to experience the freedom of ruling over them. That's what God wants to do for us. Are you excited about these new territories where you will be like the children of Israel, able to possess your possessions? They lie ahead of us but we have our Joshua who goes before us to make these blessings possible 

"Thou shalt call his name Jesus; for he shall save his people from their sins". Is he your Joshua?