Jesus is Not confined/ Using the Name of Jesus

Mark 9: 38-41/ Luke 9:49-50

Alrighty, its been a minute for those of you that have not been coming to the church during the week

The last two Sundays have lined up a little odd with Fathers day and Ed Taylor speaking but thats alright, we are back

before we get started though Who had a birthday in the month of May or in the Month of June? Come on up here so we can sing Happy birthday

Okay Now Have the Kids come up and share their experience from down in San Diego,

Benny, Squink, Noah P, Caleb Morales,

Okay thank you guys for sharing

So this Morning we are going to go over a short little passage in the Gospels, we can find it in Mark chapter 9 or in Luke chapter 9

So if you guys will turn your bibles over to Mark chapter 9 we are going to be in verse 38-41

Some of your bibles for those of you that read the New King James version will have this little section titled “ Sectarianism is Sin” and for those of you that read the NLT version it says “Using the Name of Jesus”, I like the title using the name of Jesus because its easier to grasp

today we are going to Look at Jesus and the power His name possess, specifically when it comes to division within the church, and when I say church I mean bible believing churches , not just Calvary La Habra

This passage hit me on Thursday when we were on our trip and I had the opportunity to talk to big Dave on the side while we were down in San Diego doing out reach things and I couldn’t shake it so I thought it would be perfect to do a small study on this very thing

When we look at church today , most of us pride our self in the denomination of church that we go to

Share the story of the storage unit with Timmy and the Guys ( Talk about the dude from “INTO THE LIGHT” ) AWKWARD

most people get very empowered by the Denomination of church they attend , for instance there, morning star, baptist , Pentecostal, presbyterian, evangelicalism…. and the list can go on and on but there are a ton of different denominations

and so today what we are going to talk about is Just how there is power in the Name of Jesus and that Jesus, the Gospel message , is all that truly matters

we can get all bent and weird about things that are truly non essential and make them essential, but at the end of the Day it doesn’t matter as long as Jesus is preached and the Gospel is shared

( Share your view of Thursdays Trip) How the Lord orchestrated the whole thing

share how liberal Dale is, share the story of Him filming Cops and having to wear a bullet proof vest when he films them (Expound)

share the story of Him being okay with refugees and just His mindset

He’s different than us , he’s completely someone that God is using in the hood that is outside of our Calvary La Habra Bubble

Pastor Dale is His name, He is someone that uses the name of Jesus and someone that preaches in the name of Jesus yet has different views of Life and politics as us

It was an experience that I wish all of you would have been able to have

This Little portion of scripture that we are going to talk about today shows us just how powerful the Name of Jesus is but also how wrong it is for us as believers to put the Name of Jesus in a box by thinking he doesn’t work outside of our bubbles

So before we read this lets talk about some of the things that were going on before Jesus had this conversation with His disciples

If we look at verse 14-32 we see that there was a man with a son that was demon possessed

this man had obviously done everything in His power to heal His son but nothing would work, so at a certain point He goes to Jesus disciples, Jesus disciples try to cast the demon out but they fail

Mark 9:18 “18 And wherever it seizes him, it throws him down; he foams at the mouth, gnashes his teeth, and becomes rigid. So I spoke to Your disciples, that they should cast it out, but they could not.””

further on in that section we see in verse 29 the real reason they could not cast out the demon

It was because they lacked faith and did not pray the spirit out of the boy

they were in a sense only working on Authority that they had and no faith

So these disciples had authority but they severely lacked faith and spiritual discernment to do the right thing, so of course Jesus , the power of Jesus and faith on the fathers behalf is what healed this demon possessed boy

thats a crazy thing to understand , we can have all the authority in the world but with out faith or with a lack of faith we wont accomplish what the Lord wants us to

Then if we move further along we see Jesus predict His death and resurrection verses 30-32, and then right after that the disciples are caught up arguing amongst themselves about who is the greatest among themselves and again Jesus saves the day by giving them a good heart check on being a good servant

so we have this picture now of where the disciples hearts were, they were a little carnal in their way of thinking

we see it in the encounter they had with the boy and the argument they had on who the greatest was amongst themselves

so theres a little bit of a pattern that Jesus was pruning out of them through discipleship and experiences

so this leads us into what I really want to talk about

so turn your bibles over to Mark 9: 38-41

Again we can title this study ( Using the Name of Jesus/ Jesus is not confined )

Mark 9:38 “38 Now John answered Him, saying, “Teacher, we saw someone who does not follow us casting out demons in Your name, and we forbade him because he does not follow us.”

John here speaking, is the apostle John, not John the baptist and he is the brother to James, John and James were both disciples of Jesus

Now theres not a ton of information on John, but the thing we can clearly see is that he had a problem and was the spokesperson for the disciples about another man casting out demons in the name Of Jesus

Now this bothered them so much, it says that they forbade him because He did not follow them

In other words this man was not apart of their crew and they didn’t like the success He had casting out demons

they were probably upset that this Man was out running around finding success in the name of Jesus when they lacked faith and couldn’t cast out the demon from the little boy

but this thing that this random man was doing bothered them so much that it says they forbade Him

this is kind of a Sad thing that we will talk about a little more but this man was casting out demons finding success using the name of Jesus , and just because he wasn’t apart of the crew , the disciples told Him to stop

this is where we get the word Sectarianism from ( its defined as this excessive attachment to a particular sect or party, especially or specifically religion )

the disciples had developed this mindset that there group was the only group that had the authority and power to do the work this other man was doing

Im going to expound on that more lets keep reading

Mark 9:39 “39 But Jesus said, “Do not forbid him, for no one who works a miracle in My name can soon afterward speak evil of Me.”

Using the name of Jesus comes with all kinds of spiritual power when faith is behind it

Jesus responds to the disciples telling them not to stop the man because if he is working miracles in the Name of Jesus than who can speak bad about Jesus !

thats the power in the name of Jesus, He’s not confined to a group, he can not be confined at all , if someone is out running around using the name of Jesus , you better believe that He has the power to allow miracles to happen simply because of His name

And check this out, when people are out performing miracles in the name of Jesus even when they aren’t apart of a certain group or denomination, the people who experience the power of Jesus can have nothing bad to say about him

its crazy when you see people or groups that are not saved experience the power of Jesus, they have nothing to say ( especially if they are not saved) even saved !

I mean man not that Long ago my Grandma was in the hospital with some crazy blood infection not doing really well last summer , everyone was freaking out and so I end up going to the Hospital with my mom and all my aunts and uncles are there and she’s not doing well. Keep in Mind my mom and that side of the family are straight up mormon, my aunts and uncles grew up catholic, who knows what they believe, but they are all there and so were in the room with her and my Uncle that says he’s a christian asked me to pray with my Grandma. So we all circle around I asked everyone to Hold hands and I prayed, I prayed in the Name of Jesus that he would bring her out of the funk she was in and I asked that he would give everyone peace and comfort and wisdom all according to His will and IN His name. And my Grandma it was crazy was like going in and out mentally one minute she was there and one minute she was in another realm, it was really weird what the infection was doing to her , but I was able to pray with her and then as time went on my aunts and Uncles left and it was just my mom and I in there and remember she’s mormon. But I just felt the lord really put it on my heart to ask her if she wanted to accept Jesus into her life and if she knew where she was going to go if she were to die. And it was crazy because it was like the Lord gave me like 5 good minuted where she was totally there and We prayed the sinners prayer and she accepted the Lord all while my Mom was standing there looking at me like what the heck was going on, It was really something awesome. Fast forward. The next day it was like the infection was gone and my grandma was back to normal and sent home. When we went and visited her my uncle that is not a Believer looked at me and was like dude I didn’t know prayer works like that, he’s like I need everyones prayers . He was just tripping out at the fact that just yesterday we all thought grandma was going to die and the next day she’s at home chilling watching the news, its the power in the name of Jesus man and people who experience it cant deny it and they cant ever say anything bad about Him.

I can tell you that after that day my aunts and uncles they don’t ever talk bad about God, they welcome the prayers and they know the Power that is in the name of Jesus because He used that circumstance to show them who he was

I myself can not speak evil of Jesus because I myself have experienced Him many many times in ways that are miraculous, how can someone who has experienced that ever speak evil of it ?

that is heavy !

and thats the point Jesus was driving home to the disciples, “ let him cast out demons in my name, let him experience the power that is in my name and at the very least, he wont be able to say anything bad about me”

Mark 9:40 “40 For he who is not against us is on our side.”

verse 40 is a great reminder to us all that if someone is using the name of Jesus and if some one is not actively going against Jesus than he is on our Side

and this is where we tie in someone like Pastor Dale, who preaches in the name of Jesus, has absolute evidence that Jesus is working and growing His ministry yet is completely different than us and our little bubble

We have people in church today who like to be very judgmental of other churches other denominations all simply because they think differently than what is normal to us

but this is no excuse for us as believers to shun them or to be mean or critical toward them

Man a guy like pastor Dale is absolute opposite of who we are. His political views are completely different than most of ours , yet God still uses Him and his ministry

He may think differently than us , He might have a different way of thinking but one thing is true in His ministry and that is that he Preaches the Gospel with Faith in the Name of Jesus and God is doing a crazy work in His hood

that should be encouraging to us because it shows us that God and the Gospel are much bigger than the non essentials we make essential

Political views are non essentials, they don’t determine wether or not we get into Heaven, Belief in Jesus christ does !

Its sad when we cant set aside these things to come together for Christ sake. We are creating division amongst the body of christ

Now the body of christ is not the body of calvary La Habra or Calvary chapel chino Hills, the body of christ is anyone who preaches sound doctrine in the name of Jesus

we should never Hinder another group or go out of our way to stop the work of Jesus because they don’t belong to us !

Many people feel the need to treat others as though they are not of Us instead of coming together and unifying with one another for the sake of the Gospel

What is more important ? Salvation or Political views ?

What is More important ? How many times someone can get baptized or the fact that they accepted christ into their Heart and are now advocating for the Gospel ?

Whats More important ?

You’d be surprised at just how many people make Christianity about anything other than the Gospel

2 Timothy 2:23 “23 But avoid foolish and ignorant disputes, knowing that they generate strife.”

God doesn’t call us to argue or to make a big deal over the dumb things, all that does is create division

arguing over what church you go to or what denomination you are from or what your political views are robs the Lord of His victory

when it comes to the verse we just read vs 40 there is no middle ground, you are either for Jesus or against Jesus ! you can’t be neutral

Matthew 12:30 “30 He who is not with Me is against Me, and he who does not gather with Me scatters abroad.”

the people that preach the gospel yet think differently are not actually against us or Jesus for that Matter

Mark 9:41 “41 For whoever gives you a cup of water to drink in My name, because you belong to Christ, assuredly, I say to you, he will by no means lose his reward.”

even the small act of Giving a glass or cup of water to someone in the name of Jesus will not lose His reward

the smallest of small acts as a believer are still rewarded. There is no act that is too small when done in the Name of Jesus that He will Not reward

How awesome and encouraging is that, sometimes we beat ourself up for not doing enough , ( thats me ) or for thinking that what we’ve done is too small, guess what its never too small

If you have the right heart and what you are doing is for Jesus, He is faithful and Just to reward you !

I just want to Expound a little more on the topic of Sectarianism, this excessive religious attachment that we can create in our Minds

Who remembers what tore apart the Corinthian church ? It was Sectarianism. It was sin, these people divided amongst themselves over leaders that they prided themselves in following

Paul addressed the church and had to put a stop to it because it was divisive and evil

1 Corinthians 1:10–17 “10 Now I plead with you, brethren, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that you all speak the same thing, and that there be no divisions among you, but that you be perfectly joined together in the same mind and in the same judgment. 11 For it has been declared to me concerning you, my brethren, by those of Chloe’s household, that there are contentions among you. 12 Now I say this, that each of you says, “I am of Paul,” or “I am of Apollos,” or “I am of Cephas,” or “I am of Christ.” 13 Is Christ divided? Was Paul crucified for you? Or were you baptized in the name of Paul? 14 I thank God that I baptized none of you except Crispus and Gaius, 15 lest anyone should say that I had baptized in my own name. 16 Yes, I also baptized the household of Stephanas. Besides, I do not know whether I baptized any other. 17 For Christ did not send me to baptize, but to preach the gospel, not with wisdom of words, lest the cross of Christ should be made of no effect.”

Sectarianism is SIN ! its wrong, anything that creates division and not unity is sin

Here is this section of 1st Corinthians He addresses the men and women people were dividing over

I am of Paul, I am of Apollos , I am of Cephas , I am of Christ ,

We could take this portion of scripture and input the different denominations around us and it would sound like this , I am of the baptist, I am of calvary, I am of Morning star, I am of Friends and so On

Its wrong to have that mindset and to Limit God to only our bubble

God in my experienced Has spoken to me many times when I go and venture out to another church or something different other than the bubble ! HE still works, He never stops working and the message of the Cross is powerful !

The last little section I want to share about this is found again in 1st Corinthians

Sectarianism is not only sin But it is Carnal:

1 Corinthians 3:1–4 “1 And I, brethren, could not speak to you as to spiritual people but as to carnal, as to babes in Christ. 2 I fed you with milk and not with solid food; for until now you were not able to receive it, and even now you are still not able; 3 for you are still carnal. For where there are envy, strife, and divisions among you, are you not carnal and behaving like mere men? 4 For when one says, “I am of Paul,” and another, “I am of Apollos,” are you not carnal?”

in other words when we are dividing over things that are non essential like a denomination , we are in the flesh

we are not being who God has called us to be and we are not coming together to grow the kingdom of God

Living in the flesh is only going to divide the church

envy, strife, and divisions have become too common within the church even thousands of years later, we are still dealing with this stuff when we are directed not to!

So when we look at the word of God and in This message; I kept thinking about what Gods word says in terms of Unifying and Being of One accord. Have any of you heard of that before ?

Acts 2:1 “1 When the Day of Pentecost had fully come, they were all with one accord in one place.”

Acts 4:24 “24 So when they heard that, they raised their voice to God with one accord and said: “Lord, You are God, who made heaven and earth and the sea, and all that is in them,”

Philippians 2:2 “2 fulfill my joy by being like-minded, having the same love, being of one accord, of one mind.”

Romans 15:6 “6 that you may with one mind and one mouth glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.”

being of One accord is mentioned 16 times in the new testament, I didn’t write all of then down but you guys get the idea

Being of one accord and Unity is only found in Jesus and the message of the Gospel, not politics and denominations !

In biblical terms, "being of one accord" signifies a state of complete agreement, harmony, and unity of purpose among a group of people, particularly in their thoughts, feelings, and actions. It implies a shared focus, mutual understanding, and a collective commitment to a common goal, often in spiritual or religious contexts

the common goal that we have with others is Jesus and the Gospel

so a guy Like pastor Dale is a guy that we can set aside our differences with for the building of the kingdom of God

Man I believe that this is something that is very hard for most of us christians to do

but it is necessary

When we simply look at church , we see a bunch of Jacked up sinners that are probably critical , prideful, superficial , mean ugly, what ever you wanna portray it as but the one great unifier Is Jesus christ

A church is one of the only Places that you can go where you have everything in common and nothing in common at the same time

Man ill tell you when I wasn’t walking with the Lord, no way you would find me hanging out with a group of Homeschool kids from this church or any church

No way would you find me talking with someone like a sound guy in the sanctuary , but guess what Jesus being who he is has changed my heart and Has allowed me to see people for who they are in christ

So my encouragement to you guys is to get outside of your bubble, give God room to do His work and don’t be afraid to unite with people that are different than you. Your gonna live a pretty boring life if all you do is unify over superficial things that this world has to offer, and over people that are Just like you !

Don’t be Lame