Gracious

...if indeed you have tasted that the Lord is gracious. 

1 Peter 2:3*

Gracious - I'm not really sure I know what this word means in English, much less how to define it in Bible-speak. 

The dictionary says that it refers to the qualities of someone who is kind and courteous, such as a gracious host. OK, it might fit, but Jesus is a lot more than just a nice guy.

The word actually entered the language with Middle English around the 1300's and was borrowed from the French. It meant "filled with God's grace." Now, that seems to be more like it. Jesus was certainly "full of grace and truth" (John 1:14).

It occurs a lot referring to God in the Old Testament especially in the Psalms. Here there is a long string of other character traits that are linked to the gracious LORD. 

"But You, O Lord, are a God full of compassion, and gracious, longsuffering and abundant in mercy and truth” (Psalm 86:15).

"The LORD is merciful and gracious, Slow to anger, and abounding in mercy” (Psalm 103:8). 

"Unto the upright there arises light in the darkness; He is gracious, and full of compassion, and righteous” (Psalm 112:4).

"So rend your heart, and not your garments; Return to the LORD your God, For He is gracious and merciful, Slow to anger, and of great kindness; And He relents from doing harm” (Joel 2:13). 

I think I got it now. When I look at Christ with the eyes of faith, I can very clearly see the Grace of God. The Savior is filled with God's grace which obviously makes Him Gracious. 

*see also Psalm 111:4, 116:5; 145:8 and 17

He who has the Key of David

"And to the angel of the church in Philadelphia write, 'These things says He who is holy, He who is true, "He who has the key of David, He who opens and no one shuts, and shuts and no one opens."

Revelation 3:7

Titles are descriptive and informative, but too many are cumbersome. If a formal introduction of Elizabeth Winsor was given, she'd be presented as: "Her Majesty Elizabeth the Second, by the Grace of God, of Great Britain, Ireland and the British Dominions beyond the Seas, Queen, Defender of the Faith, Duchess of Edinburgh, Countess of Merioneth, Baroness Greenwich etc. etc." Actually, the Queen has several hundred titles; if all the titles were given, it would fill several pages. Normally, however, only about a half dozen titles are given at any occasion and those are chosen as being the most appropriate for the audience. 

When the Lord addressed the small suffering church at Philadelphia, He used the titles that communicated that He had power to meet the needs. The believers there were having their outreach shut down by persecution and the opposition seemed to completely hem them in. The odds against them were so overwhelming, it was like sending a young boy to fight against a giant. 

Oh, wait a minute, I just remembered David and Goliath and that's what Jesus wanted the church of Philadelphia to remember. Christ is He who has the key of David and He can open the prison cell that believers are put in. The Lord of lords has the power to open any unlocked door and the power to intimidate a host of bullies. 

David grew up the youngest in a large, poor family, but God chose him, used him, and gave him unimaginable victory. That's important to remember at a time of great stress or opposition. Jesus is not only the Lamb of God, He is the One who has the key of David. 

He who Holds the Seven Stars

"To the angel of the church of Ephesus write, 'These things says He who holds the seven stars in His right hand, who walks in the midst of the seven golden lampstands.

Revelation 2:1

If there was a file folder for unusual titles of Christ, He who holds the seven stars would certainly go in it. Not even strong Christians understand this title unless they are able to recognize the context of the verse. It comes from the letter Christ dictates to the Ephesian church which appears in Revelation chapter 2 and refers to the Apostle John's vision of the Lord in chapter 1. Here, the Savior is seen holding seven stars, which are later explained as being the angels that minister to the seven churches of Asia Minor (Revelation 1:16 and 20). 

John had a special burden for these churches in the later years of his life and their well-being was on his mind and in his prayers. Even though the circumstances of these local churches were historical, they are also seen as representing different periods of church history throughout the ages as well as representing different types of churches that can be found at every point in time.

The glorified Son of Man identified Himself to the church of the Ephesians as He who holds the seven stars. This church was doctrinally sound and doing great works, but they had fallen out of love with the One who had loved them unto death. The idea of the title is that Christ has them in His hand and won't let them go. The name speaks of possession and fellowship. 

In scripture, the number seven symbolizes completeness so the idea is that He has every church in His hand. If someone is playing poker, he is dealt five cards; when dealing with churches a full hand is seven. 

Christ has his finger on the pulse of every local church everywhere in the world at every moment. We have a very small assembly of believers that meets in our home, but the Lord Jesus is there even when only two or three are gathered together (Matthew 18:20). Knowing that makes it hard to stop loving Him who Holds the Seven Stars. 

Head of the Church

For the husband is head of the wife, as also Christ is head of the church; and He is the Savior of the body.

Ephesians 5:23

Most people define "church" as the building Christians use to do whatever it is that Christians do. Structures have to sit on property, so somewhere there is a title to the land and, on the bottom line of that title, the name of the owner. The church itself might be deeded to an organization, so the CEO or bishop or pope or person in charge of the group would be considered the head of the church. 

This line of thinking makes sense to most Americans, but that's not how it is presented in the word of God. There, the church is understood to be an assembly of believers in a certain place. They can meet in a building or have a picnic together in a park. The church is still the people and not the place. The universal church is not only made up of every true believer everywhere in the world, it is the sum total of every Christian that ever lived in every century since the day of Pentecost. 

The church might be people and not a place, but it still has an owner. The Lord Jesus bought every believer with His own blood and claims them as His own. That clearly makes Him the Head of the Church which makes Him have authority over it. 

The problem with titles is that they must be honored and recognized or they are meaningless. When Pontius Pilate presented Jesus as king to the Jewish leaders and people, He really was the King of Israel, even though they shouted Him down to be crucified. He was rejected by His own people, so was not allowed to reign over them. However, He will come again to claim His kingdom and wear the crown. 

In the same way, "Christians" who don't obey or honor Christ's authority will one day be sorted out. The true believers will be separated from the false ones and Christ will be hailed by the saints of all ages as the Head of the Church. 

Leader and Commander

Indeed I have given him as a witness to the people, A leader and commander for the people.

Isaiah 55:4

As Leader and Commander, Christ must be followed and obeyed. He needs to take over and control a person's life or no transformation can take place. Unfortunately, some people just want to "invite Jesus into their heart" and expect Him to be a quiet, polite guest that minds His own business and leaves them in charge of daily lives. The bottom line is that they're still lost, because they don't have the faith to believe that He is the boss and they must obey Him. 

Jesus is the Way to Heaven, which is great since no one else knows how to get there. He's also the Leader for those who trust Him to lead them...

           ....from a lost condition into one of positive direction.

           ....from a sin-cursed world into the New Jerusalem..

           ....from sorrow into joy.

           ....from loneliness into fellowship.

           ....from pain into healing.

           ....from dryness of spirit to the still waters.

A leader also commands troops into battle and that connects with the second part of the title: Commander. Christians are on the winning side of a spiritual war waged against the devil and his hosts. Unfortunately, many battles are lost, because many in the Lord's army don't obey their orders. Many so-called believers call themselves independent Christians who feel that obedience is optional, whether to church leaders or to Christ, their Commander in Chief.

Salvation by grace through faith is one of the basic tenets of Christianity, but it must be understood that faith is agreement with God. It is saying, "Yes sir, I'll do what you say" to the Leader and Commander of the Universe. 

Witness to the People

Indeed I have given him as a witness to the people, A leader and commander for the people.
Isaiah 55:4

A good witness not only speaks the truth, but reveals facts and details that would not otherwise be known. The judge and jury want to know what happened, so they rely on witnesses to enlighten them about what went on. Without this information, people are clueless and can't make an intelligent judgment. God is not from around here. He is Spirit and the laws of physics don't apply to Him as they do to us. Invisible, infinite, and invariable, He's not at all like us. The human race really needs someone who knows and has seen God, so that He can explain Him to us - that's what the Jewish Messiah came to do.  He was given as a Witness to the People. 

Christ not only explains the character and personality of God, He makes the intangible tangible and the infinite finite. The life and ministry of Jesus defines and illustrates such words as grace, humility, and providence. The Old Testament gave clues and hints to what God was like, but it took the incarnation to get the clear picture. 

Many other titles of Christ express in other words this idea that the LORD's Anointed is an explainer of the Divine. The Lord Jesus is also called:

           The express image of God (Hebrews 1:3)

           The Fullness of the Godhead (Colossians 2:9)
           God manifested in the flesh (1 Timothy 3:16)

           The Image of the Invisible God (Colossians 1:15)

           Immanuel, God with us (Matthew 1:23)

           The Shadow of the Almighty (Psalm 91:1)

           Word of God (Revelation 19:13)

If God hadn't revealed Himself, no one could ever know who He actually is. It is through the person of Christ that God has become a Witness to the People. 

Branch of the LORD

In that day the Branch of the LORD shall be beautiful and glorious; And the fruit of the earth shall be excellent and appealing For those of Israel who have escaped.
Isaiah 4:2

Prophesy scholar I am not. It's hard to sort through all the pieces and get them in their proper place. It could be compared to finding a bunch of little animal bones in a field and then taking them home to discover what they are. For me, analyzing and interpreting prophesy is just that kind of challenge, although I would much prefer re-articulating a mouse skeleton any day of the week. 

That having been said, I've had to search out and study the Old Testament prophets in search of titles of Christ. Many times it is not immediately apparent if the name is Messianic or refers to God the Father. The Branch of the LORD, however, is one of the very easy ones. It is like it has a neon sign beside it saying, "This is the Messiah." 

Isaiah prophesied at a time when the nation of Judah was in decline. The Assyrian empire had conquered the Northern Kingdom of Israel and laid waste most of the land around Jerusalem. The prophet looked forward to a day when the land would flourish again, when God's anointed would come.

Just as a branch grows out of a tree, the Branch of the LORD is just an extension of God that comes out of Him and produces fruit on the earth. The title is a very strong affirmation of the deity of the Messiah and was given to bring hope and faith to God's people in a time of desperation.

In Jesus' teaching of the true vine, believers are compared to branches that draw strength and sustenance from Christ Himself. When examining a tree, it's observed that a branch forks and divides and then forks and divides again. Young Christians receive spiritual nourishment from more mature disciples that serve as channels of grace from the Savior who is the Branch of the LORD.