Not By Your Power

Wherefore God also hath highly exalted Him, and GIVEN HIM A NAME WHICH 

IS ABOVE EVERY NAME:  That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, 

of things in Heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth; 

And that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, 

to the glory of God the Father. 

Philippians 2:9-11

The name of Jesus is the most powerful name we know in the universe. It is above every other name:

Far above all principality, and power, and might, and dominion, and EVERY name that is named, not only in this world, but also in that which is to come.  Ephesians 1:21

There is power in the name of Jesus!  Jesus left His followers with the great mission of reaching the world with the Gospel message. He also left them with a special power to enable them to fulfill the mission. He gave them authority to use His own name:  

And Jesus came and spake unto them, saying, All power is given unto me in Heaven and in earth.  Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost; Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world.  Matthew 28:18-20

This may seem confusing to some, but when a person during biblical times gave his own name to another, it meant that the two of them were joined together in close unity. Through the name of Jesus, we have access to the triune nature of God, the father, God, the son and God, the Holy Spirit.  Not only do we have access, we have the authority.  An example of this is when God gave His name to Israel.  

The Lord shall establish thee an holy people unto Himself, as He hath sworn unto thee, if thou shalt keep the commandments of the Lord thy God, and walk in His ways. And all people of the earth shall see that thou art called by the name of the Lord; and they shall be afraid of thee.   Deuteronomy 28:9-10

To be sent or speak in someone's name is to have his authority.  The word tells us this in Jeremiah:  

Therefore thus saith the Lord of the men of Anathoth, that seek thy life, saying, Prophesy not in the name of the Lord, that thou die not by our hand; Therefore thus saith the Lord of hosts, Behold, I will punish them; the young men shall die by the sword; their sons and their daughters shall die by famine.   Jeremiah 11:21-22  

Evil men sought to kill Jeremiah because he prophesied in the name of the Lord and they knew his prophecy had God’s authority behind it.

One of the greatest keys to spiritual power is the name of Jesus. 

We often fail in ministry because we depend on our own ability to deliver someone. It is not our name, position, or authority that carries the power. Our power is in the name of Jesus. We should remind ourselves and others daily that it is never about us nor any ‘good’ thing we may be doing. It is all because of the power and authority of God's spirit working within us.

For in him we live, and move, and have our being; as certain also of your own poets have said, For we are also his offspring.  Acts 17:28

Being able to call on the name of Jesus; understanding the magnitude of the power in His name is awesome and magnificent to behold. I recall an incident several, several years ago. My family was en-route to Florida for our annual vacation. We were caravanning by car; 3 cars. The car I was in was in the rear. We watched as the middle car tried to move to the left lane to pass a car without realizing there was a car directly behind him in the left lane. When he realized it, he over-corrected; causing his car to careen out of control; fishtailing uncontrollably. Two of us in my car immediately began to call on the name of Jesus! We didn’t have time to get down on our knees or bow our heads or clasp our hands together and pray a great prayer.   By faith, all we said was ‘J E S U S’! You could see lanes opening up as cars moved to give him room. He was able to get his car corrected and we made it safely to Florida. You know we talked about it when we got there; my sister who was in that car said, ‘you know we were calling on Jesus!’ Automatic, no thought, when in trouble, call on the name of Jesus because He is a present help!

Mere chanting of the name of Jesus over and over can be little more than a ritual. It becomes vain repetition similar to that practiced by the Pharisees and scribes in biblical times. The name of Jesus is not some magical phrase. 

You must have faith in the name. 

The disciples emphasized this after a powerful healing. Peter said: 

And his name through faith in his name hath made this man strong, whom ye see and know: yea, the faith which is by him hath given him this perfect soundness in the presence of you all.  Acts 3:16

We have chanted the name of Jesus like a ritual, but our faith in the name has been weak. How can this be corrected? How can we move beyond mere repetition of the name of Jesus to faith in His name which results in power? The Bible says, 

So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the Word of God.  (Romans 10:17)  

It is so imperative that we know what the word of God says!

Your faith in the name of Jesus can be increased by hearing and reading what the Word of God says about His name. Through the Word you can understand the authority behind the name and biblical guidelines for proper use of Jesus' name.  Two powerful ways the name of Jesus is used is for salvation and sanctification.  

v  Power of Salvation

The greatest power in the name of Jesus is the power of salvation from sin. It is only through His name that salvation comes. 

 

And she shall bring forth a son, and thou shalt call His name Jesus: for He shall save His people from their sins     Matthew 1:21

Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under Heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved.  Acts 4:12   

He that believes on Him is not condemned; but he that believe not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God. John 3:18

You cannot be forgiven of your sins in any other way--only through the name of Jesus. You cannot gain access to God except through Jesus:  

Jesus said unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life; no man comes unto the Father, but by me. John 14:6

When presenting the Gospel of of the Kingdom of God, it is important to emphasize that salvation comes only through the name of Jesus. Confession of the name of Jesus is a crucial part and  is paramount to salvation: 

That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised Him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. For with the heart man believes unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation. Romans 10:9-10

The power to become a child of God is through the name of Jesus:  

But as many as received Him (Jesus), to them gave He power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on His name.   John 1:12

v  Sanctification

Not only are you cleansed from sin and justified through the name of Jesus, you are also sanctified. Sanctification comes through the power of God which continues to work in you after salvation to enable you to live a holy life. Apostle Paul speaks of the evils of sin. He says,  

Know ye not that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God? Be not deceived: neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor abusers of themselves with mankind, Nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners, shall inherit the kingdom of God.And such were some of you: but ye are washed, but ye are sanctified, but ye are justified IN THE NAME of the Lord Jesus, and by the Spirit of our God.  1 Corinthians 6:11  

Previously, these Corinthians lived in these sinful practices. Now they could live a holy life through sanctification which came through the name of Jesus and the power of God's Holy Spirit.

The beauty of the name of Jesus is that it has no operating hours.  You can have access to the name of Jesus at any time of the day or night!  You can call on Him in your times of distress and you can call on Him just to say thank you.

Praise God for the Name of Jesus!

(Biblical Studies)

10/09/14
01/29/16
03/15/17
11/26/18
05/21/20

04/05/22