Sermon Tone Analysis

Praying in the Name of Jesus

There are numerous other Christian activities that are done “in Christ’s name.”

Demons are cast out in his name (Luke 10:17), which is to say, by virtue of his authority and power.

Miracles are performed in his name (Acts 3:6; 4:10; 16:18), which I take to mean through his power and for his glory.

Baptism is administered in the name of Jesus (Acts 10:48), church discipline is enforced in the name of Jesus (1 Cor.

5:4), and the gospel is preached in his name (Acts 9:27-28).

Jesus later says in John 14:26 that the Father will send the Holy Spirit “in my name” (14:26).

In 2 Thessalonians 3:6 Paul writes: “Now we command you, brothers, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.”

He tell us in 1 Corinthians 6:11 that we are sanctified and justified “in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ.”

In fact, Paul tells us in Colossians 3:17 that whatever we do, in word or deed, we are to do it “in the name of the Lord Jesus.”

Sam Storms

Gospel of John

John 15:7–8 (ESV)

7 If you abide in me, and my words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you.

8 By this my Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit and so prove to be my disciples.

7 ἐὰν μείνητε ἐν ἐμοὶ καὶ τὰ ῥήματά μου ἐν ὑμῖν μείνῃ, ὃ ἐὰν θέλητε αἰτήσασθε, καὶ γενήσεται ὑμῖν.

8 ἐν τούτῳ ἐδοξάσθη ὁ πατήρ μου, ἵνα καρπὸν πολὺν φέρητε καὶ γένησθε ἐμοὶ μαθηταί.

John 15:16 (ESV)

16 You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit and that your fruit should abide, so that whatever you ask the Father in my name, he may give it to you.

16 οὐχ ὑμεῖς με ἐξελέξασθε, ἀλλʼ ἐγὼ ἐξελεξάμην ὑμᾶς καὶ ἔθηκα ὑμᾶς ἵνα ὑμεῖς ὑπάγητε καὶ καρπὸν φέρητε καὶ ὁ καρπὸς ὑμῶν μένῃ, ἵνα ὅ τι ἂν αἰτήσητε τὸν πατέρα ἐν τῷ ὀνόματί μου δῷ ὑμῖν.

1 John

1 John 3:21–22 (ESV)

21 Beloved, if our heart does not condemn us, we have confidence before God; 22 and whatever we ask we receive from him, because we keep his commandments and do what pleases him.

21 Ἀγαπητοί, ἐὰν ἡ καρδία [ἡμῶν] μὴ καταγινώσκῃ, παρρησίαν ἔχομεν πρὸς τὸν θεὸν 22 καὶ ὃ ἐὰν αἰτῶμεν λαμβάνομεν ἀπʼ αὐτοῦ, ὅτι τὰς ἐντολὰς αὐτοῦ τηροῦμεν καὶ τὰ ἀρεστὰ ἐνώπιον αὐτοῦ ποιοῦμεν

1 John 5:14–15 (ESV)

14 And this is the confidence that we have toward him, that if we ask anything according to his will he hears us.

15 And if we know that he hears us in whatever we ask, we know that we have the requests that we have asked of him.

14 καὶ αὕτη ἐστὶν ἡ παρρησία ἣν ἔχομεν πρὸς αὐτὸν ὅτι ἐάν τι αἰτώμεθα κατὰ τὸ θέλημα αὐτοῦ ἀκούει ἡμῶν.15

καὶ ἐὰν οἴδαμεν ὅτι ἀκούει ἡμῶν ὃ ἐὰν αἰτώμεθα, οἴδαμεν ὅτι ἔχομεν τὰ αἰτήματα ἃ ᾐτήκαμεν ἀπʼ αὐτοῦ.

Healing

Acts 3:6 (ESV)

6 But Peter said, “I have no silver and gold, but what I do have I give to you.

In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, rise up and walk!”

Acts 3:16 (ESV)

16 And his name—by faith in his name—has made this man strong whom you see and know, and the faith that is through Jesus has given the man this perfect health in the presence of you all.

Deliverance

Acts 16:18 (ESV)

18 And this she kept doing for many days.

Paul, having become greatly annoyed, turned and said to the spirit, “I command you in the name of Jesus Christ to come out of her.”

And it came out that very hour.

Teaching

Acts 9:27–28 (ESV)

27 But Barnabas took him and brought him to the apostles and declared to them how on the road he had seen the Lord, who spoke to him, and how at Damascus he had preached boldly in the name of Jesus.

28 So he went in and out among them at Jerusalem, preaching boldly in the name of the Lord.

Everything

Colossians 3:17 (ESV)

17 And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.

Signs and Wonders

Acts 4:30 (ESV)

30 while you stretch out your hand to heal, and signs and wonders are performed through the name of your holy servant Jesus.”

Baptized

Acts 19:5 (ESV)

5 On hearing this, they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus.

Salvation

Romans 10:13 (ESV)

13 For “everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.”

In Christ

Sons of Sceva

Acts 19:11–20 (ESV)

11 And God was doing extraordinary miracles by the hands of Paul, 12 so that even handkerchiefs or aprons that had touched his skin were carried away to the sick, and their diseases left them and the evil spirits came out of them.

13 Then some of the itinerant Jewish exorcists undertook to invoke the name of the Lord Jesus over those who had evil spirits, saying, “I adjure you by the Jesus whom Paul proclaims.”

14 Seven sons of a Jewish high priest named Sceva were doing this.

15 But the evil spirit answered them, “Jesus I know, and Paul I recognize, but who are you?”

16 And the man in whom was the evil spirit leaped on them, mastered all of them and overpowered them, so that they fled out of that house naked and wounded.

17 And this became known to all the residents of Ephesus, both Jews and Greeks.

And fear fell upon them all, and the name of the Lord Jesus was extolled.

18 Also many of those who were now believers came, confessing and divulging their practices.

19 And a number of those who had practiced magic arts brought their books together and burned them in the sight of all.

And they counted the value of them and found it came to fifty thousand pieces of silver.

20 So the word of the Lord continued to increase and prevail mightily.

Ben Kandt

# In the Name of Jesus

"When God thus acts “for the sake of his name,” he is not just protecting it from misrepresentation; he is determining to be true to it.

His concern is less for his reputation than for his consistency."

(John R. W. Stott, The Cross of Christ)

Hudson Taylor: the name of Jesus (i.e., not for the sake of Jesus merely, but on the ground that we are His, His members)

Dallas Willard: “When you ask and act in the name of Jesus the Kingdom comes into action.”

Andrew Murray: “Asking in the name of another means that that other authorized me and sent me to ask, and wants to be considered as asking himself: he wants the favor done to him.”

(Abide in Christ)

Stott on Acts 3: Jesus’ name: all he is and does.

Michael Heiser on Acts 3, “In the name“ refers to the real presence of Jesus himself.

[[Hallowed be Your name]]

[[The Third Commandment]]

Sam Storms

https://www.samstorms.org/all-articles/post/45---in-jesus--name--magical-incantation-or-pathway-to-power-john-1413-14

It’s important to note that one need not even repeat the words “in Christ’s name” to pray “in Christ’s name.”

The perfect inflection of the word “Jesus” or “Christ” carries no weight.

Praying in Christ’s name is less a form of precise words and more an attitude, a belief, an overall theology that says all I have is because of him and through him.

It expresses utter dependence.

Thus, you can pray “in Christ’s name” while remaining altogether silent.

I believe this is what David meant in Psalm 37:4 when he said: “Delight yourself in the Lord, and he will give you the desires of your heart.”

Be God-centered, said David.

Make God and his will and his fame your desire and focus.

If you do that, your desires will always be the sort that God will happily and abundantly fulfill.

When you delight in God, that is to say, when his glory and beauty are preeminent in your heart and mind, your desires will never be self-centered but rather God-centered.

You won’t ask him for anything that wouldn’t bring glory to his name.

Abide

So, what does it mean to “abide” in Christ or to “remain” in Christ?

It means to live daily in conscious dependence on Christ, in moment-by-moment awareness of one’s union with Christ, and in ever-more devoted obedience to what he has commanded us to do.

JI PACKER

“God’s yes is regularly a case of [God saying to us] ‘your thinking about how I could best meet this need was right’; his no is a case of [his saying to us] ‘not that, for this is better’ – and so is really a yes in disguise!

– and his wait (which we infer from the fact that though we have asked for action, nothing yet has changed) is a case of [God saying] ‘wait and see; I will deal with this need at the best time in the best way.

Whether or not you will be able to discern my wisdom when I do act, that is what in fact I am going to do.

Keep watching, and see what you can see” (Praying, 173-74).