Wielding the Name of Jesus

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Peter and John were just coming off of the healing of the lame man at the gate called beautiful…

Acts 4:1–12 NKJV

1 Now as they spoke to the people, the priests, the captain of the temple, and the Sadducees came upon them, 2 being greatly disturbed that they taught the people and preached in Jesus the resurrection from the dead. 3 And they laid hands on them, and put them in custody until the next day, for it was already evening. 4 However, many of those who heard the word believed; and the number of the men came to be about five thousand. 5 And it came to pass, on the next day, that their rulers, elders, and scribes, 6 as well as Annas the high priest, Caiaphas, John, and Alexander, and as many as were of the family of the high priest, were gathered together at Jerusalem. 7 And when they had set them in the midst, they asked, “By what power or by what name have you done this?” 8 Then Peter, filled with the Holy Spirit, said to them, “Rulers of the people and elders of Israel: 9 If we this day are judged for a good deed done to a helpless man, by what means he has been made well, 10 let it be known to you all, and to all the people of Israel, that by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom you crucified, whom God raised from the dead, by Him this man stands here before you whole. 11 This is the ‘stone which was rejected by you builders, which has become the chief cornerstone.’ 12 Nor is there salvation in any other, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.”

I am preaching today about “Wielding the Name of Jesus”. And we are going to then do just that.

The Power of the Name

Names to Stand Out

I have to admit that I am fascinated at the trends that come and go in naming babies.

In 2022 thus far, the most popular names for girls are:

Olivia

Emma

Amelia

Ava

Sophia

Charlotte

Isabella

Mia

And the list for boys is as follows:

Benjamin

Oliver

Theodore

Alexander

Jameson

Beau

William

Wyatt

Nolan

Lucas

But increasingly, parents are looking for more and more unique names for their children. And Sis. LaRue and I have marvelled and stood in uneasy amazement at the names that even some of our friends have given to their children.

This is what today.com says is some of the “best” names of 2022:

Aurelius

Bridger

Calanthe

Cosmo

Draco

Forest (I guess they expect him to be a runner!)

Kekoa

Lilibet

Prairie

Otis

And what’s happening, here?

We are looking for something unique. A name that stands out. Something that will have the effect of standing out from all of the rest. A name that’s not like others for a person who is not like others.

We want it to be memorable! The goal of these unique names is to walk away from that person and not ever forget their name!

But I’ve got a public service announcement to make today (and you can bet it’s going to make the devil mad!):

There’s has never been… there is not now… and there will never be... a name like the name of Jesus!

…

We can make a list of all the names that sound good… we can compile an exhaustive list of all of the names of people that we think are good...

…but still yet, if we were to sit down and decide the name of the One who really IS good… there’s not gonna be a debate… there’s not gonna be a vote… there’s not even really gonna be a list!!!

There’s only ONE great name - the name of Jesus!!!

Origin and Meaning

The Lord chose and ordained for His name to be Jesus for very good reason.

Luke 1:30–31 NKJV

30 Then the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. 31 And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bring forth a Son, and shall call His name Jesus.

The name Jesus had been common in the times of the Old Testament and continued to be a popular name through the first century A.D.. Matthew 1:21 provides an explanation for giving the child this name...

Matthew 1:21 NKJV

21 And she will bring forth a Son, and you shall call His name Jesus, for He will save His people from their sins.”

That name Jesus contains, in its Hebrew form, the word “saves” (yeh-sha), because… “he will save his people from their sins.”

So, therefore, it’s not even necessary for someone to say, “Jesus is a savior,” or “Jesus saves,” because it’s already part of His name! Now, I will happily say those things! And I’ll give glory to Him for the mighty acts He has done… but what I’m trying to express to you today is the power that stands in His name alone.

And it’s in His name “Jesus” that we get God almighty, the Holy Ghost, and the man Christ Jesus all in one - because He IS one! Colossians 2:9 says that in him “dwelleth all the fulness of the Godhead bodily!”

WHEN YOU SAY THE NAME OF JESUS, YOU’VE ALREADY SAID SAVIOR!

WHEN YOU SAY THE NAME OF JESUS, YOU’VE ALREADY SAID HEALER!

WHEN YOU SAY THE NAME OF JESUS, YOU’VE ALREADY SAID WAY-MAKER!

And when we begin to call on Him and speak His name over things, we are invoking His power simply by saying His name.

It used to be that people would “plead the blood” over their home and their family. What were they doing? They were speaking the name of Jesus over the most important things in their lives. Didn’t have much, didn’t need much, but they knew Jesus and they knew the power in that name!

Let me tell you something… your home deserves a prayer warrior in it!

Ask Lot about how valuable a prayer warrior in a family is!

If you’re waiting on a Billy Cole or a Nona Freeman or a Nathaniel Urshan or a Vesta Mangun or a Chuck Gray or a Jeff Arnold or a Verbal Bean… GOD DIDN’T CHOOSE THEM FOR THIS MOMENT! INSTEAD HE CHOSE YOU!!!

And He needs somebody to speak His name.

Let me tell you of the power of that name...

The demonic forces can’t handle it.

James 2:19 NKJV

19 You believe that there is one God. You do well. Even the demons believe—and tremble!

Luke 10:17 NKJV

17 Then the seventy returned with joy, saying, “Lord, even the demons are subject to us in Your name.”

Mark 3:11 NKJV

11 And the unclean spirits, whenever they saw Him, fell down before Him and cried out, saying, “You are the Son of God.”

Matthew 10:1 NKJV

1 And when He had called His twelve disciples to Him, He gave them power over unclean spirits, to cast them out, and to heal all kinds of sickness and all kinds of disease.

I’ve said this before, but there are spiritual forces in this city that are to be dealt with head-on by those who believe in the power of His name.

Daniel, in the prophetic book of Daniel, made spiritual warfare with one who the Bible calls the “prince of the kingdom of Persia.” And it’s clear that there are spirits which are set in charge of regions and places. Even here.

And within this spiritual battle, the angel Michael came to step in and help David.

But there are forces that need to hear us speak the name Jesus in their direction. Listen to me: I DON’T WANT THEM TO GET COMFORTABLE. You allow spirits to become comfortable around you and they’ll take you for a ride real quick. I’m not interested - I’m set on this earth to take ground - not give it up!!!

They are afraid of this name.

...

Let me tell you what else the Bible says about this name...

Proverbs 18:10 NKJV

10 The name of the Lord is a strong tower; The righteous run to it and are safe.

I wonder how many times you have been in a sudden or tight situation and you didn’t have time to pray a lengthy and deep prayer or get to an altar… all you had time to do was RUN INTO THE STRONG TOWER. And you just yelled “Jesus!”

It wasn’t you taking His name in vain! It wasn’t you saying a word that came to mind! You recognized the power that comes with running into the strong tower in your time of need!!!

From Blood-Line to Blood-Wash

Let me give you a little perspective to your place in relation to the name Jesus...

Luke 3:23–38 NKJV

23 Now Jesus Himself began His ministry at about thirty years of age, being (as was supposed) the son of Joseph, the son of Heli, 24 the son of Matthat, the son of Levi, the son of Melchi, the son of Janna, the son of Joseph, 25 the son of Mattathiah, the son of Amos, the son of Nahum, the son of Esli, the son of Naggai, 26 the son of Maath, the son of Mattathiah, the son of Semei, the son of Joseph, the son of Judah, 27 the son of Joannas, the son of Rhesa, the son of Zerubbabel, the son of Shealtiel, the son of Neri, 28 the son of Melchi, the son of Addi, the son of Cosam, the son of Elmodam, the son of Er, 29 the son of Jose, the son of Eliezer, the son of Jorim, the son of Matthat, the son of Levi, 30 the son of Simeon, the son of Judah, the son of Joseph, the son of Jonan, the son of Eliakim, 31 the son of Melea, the son of Menan, the son of Mattathah, the son of Nathan, the son of David, 32 the son of Jesse, the son of Obed, the son of Boaz, the son of Salmon, the son of Nahshon, 33 the son of Amminadab, the son of Ram, the son of Hezron, the son of Perez, the son of Judah, 34 the son of Jacob, the son of Isaac, the son of Abraham, the son of Terah, the son of Nahor, 35 the son of Serug, the son of Reu, the son of Peleg, the son of Eber, the son of Shelah, 36 the son of Cainan, the son of Arphaxad, the son of Shem, the son of Noah, the son of Lamech, 37 the son of Methuselah, the son of Enoch, the son of Jared, the son of Mahalalel, the son of Cainan, 38 the son of Enosh, the son of Seth, the son of Adam, the son of God.

God was very specific about the lineage that he was choosing to enter in as the savior of the word.

But you notice, the names we read of here… some of these people were very flawed. Some of them did things they were not proud of. And while some committed sin as egregious as murder, other simply had to deal with their small daily flaws and work to change and be better for God. It was these people that God chose. He did not look for the richest, the most popular, or the best looking. And he made this HIS blood line.

Today, we may not be a direct descendant of David. Or Nathan. Or Amos. Or Zarubbabel. (The blood line.) But there’s something we most certainly CAN say…

Once Jesus entered the world and the blood line was complete, after Jesus did what He did… the blood line became the blood WASH! I may not be blood-line, but I AM BLOOD-WASHED!!!

David, I know that Saul had slain his thousands and you had slain your ten thousands. That’s awesome. And I’m thankful for you. I’m glad you were in the blood line. But I’ve been in the blood wash!

We are marked by His blood! And we are empowered to plead His blood and speak the name of Jesus over every obstacle we face!

Battling with the Name

The Name of Jesus was Forbidden

Now, in our text, where we read there is “no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved”… something interesting happened right after Peter was saying this…

Acts 4:11–18 NKJV

11 This is the ‘stone which was rejected by you builders, which has become the chief cornerstone.’ 12 Nor is there salvation in any other, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.” 13 Now when they saw the boldness of Peter and John, and perceived that they were uneducated and untrained men, they marveled. And they realized that they had been with Jesus. 14 And seeing the man who had been healed standing with them, they could say nothing against it. 15 But when they had commanded them to go aside out of the council, they conferred among themselves, 16 saying, “What shall we do to these men? For, indeed, that a notable miracle has been done through them is evident to all who dwell in Jerusalem, and we cannot deny it. 17 But so that it spreads no further among the people, let us severely threaten them, that from now on they speak to no man in this name.” 18 So they called them and commanded them not to speak at all nor teach in the name of Jesus.

All of a sudden, they found themselves in a place where it would be dangerous to even utter the word “Jesus”.

We use it often. We don’t have to worry about getting scared when we say it. (Not yet, at least.)

But due to the fact that by using this name, signs, miracles, and wonders were taking place, they had to try and do something to stop this. It was getting too much attention! It was becoming to much of a movement and a revival!

And any time there’s a breakthrough or a revival, the devil is going to try and trip things up.

So the Sanhedrin thinks, “If we can cause them to back down from their source of power, this will end. Let’s ban the name Jesus!”

Peter and John’s Response

And I find it pretty interesting as to how Peter and John responded to this Jesus-name-ban...

Acts 4:18–22 NKJV

18 So they called them and commanded them not to speak at all nor teach in the name of Jesus. 19 But Peter and John answered and said to them, “Whether it is right in the sight of God to listen to you more than to God, you judge. 20 For we cannot but speak the things which we have seen and heard.” 21 So when they had further threatened them, they let them go, finding no way of punishing them, because of the people, since they all glorified God for what had been done. 22 For the man was over forty years old on whom this miracle of healing had been performed.

And then, after Peter and John were released, the FIRST THING THEY DID was to sit down and pray for boldness… and listen to what the Bible says...

Acts 4:23–31 NKJV

23 And being let go, they went to their own companions and reported all that the chief priests and elders had said to them. 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, 25 who by the mouth of Your servant David have said: ‘Why did the nations rage, And the people plot vain things? 26 The kings of the earth took their stand, And the rulers were gathered together Against the Lord and against His Christ.’ 27 “For truly against Your holy Servant Jesus, whom You anointed, both Herod and Pontius Pilate, with the Gentiles and the people of Israel, were gathered together 28 to do whatever Your hand and Your purpose determined before to be done. 29 Now, Lord, look on their threats, and grant to Your servants that with all boldness they may speak Your word, 30 by stretching out Your hand to heal, and that signs and wonders may be done through the name of Your holy Servant Jesus.” 31 And when they had prayed, the place where they were assembled together was shaken; and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit, and they spoke the word of God with boldness.

What did they do when the world started fighting back? They hit back harder! “We’re going to see miracles by your name, Jesus!”

The Kilwins Bottle

We were in Gatlinburg, TN last week. And while we were walking up and down that main road of shops that goes through town - tons of people walking - it got hot out there. And while we were all walking, Bro. March decided it was time for some water. So he spots a candy store next to us, he asks who all wants a water, and he goes in to get everyone a bottle. Little did he know, they filter that bottled water with a strainer made out of 10-carat diamonds. Not really, but the price sounded like it. He got up to the cash register and five waters ended up being like $12. We all felt bad for him paying for it all.

But something interesting happened. We all got our bottles of water, drove around. A few days later we started home. And when I got home, I was cleaning out the car… and as I did, I noticed these empty bottles in the car. Kilwins Water Bottles. And I thought, “You know, we’ve all had other kinds of bottles of water on this trip. But the only bottles we kept around through the rest of the trip… was the Kilwins bottles.” Now, why was that? Well, I know Sis. March wanted to use the caps for some project… but that was just the caps...

We kept the bottles around, because they were paid for with such a high price.

And I want to tell you that this name of Jesus is in our possession due to a high price that was paid! And we can’t afford to let this name lie dormant! To let our understanding of its power fade! It’s valuable! It was paid-for! It’s powerful! And I must see that and USE IT!!!

Call Jesus Over Your Situation

Hear what I’m about to say...

This church is in a moment of adversity today. There are struggles. There are attacks. There are storms that are raging in some lives.

And I have found myself at a point in my Spirit, and I believe Pastor and others have, too… where I am just about fed up with these games the devil has tried to play! He’s tried to intimidate and cause the saints to become weary. And I’m not interested in making some cheap shot at him that won’t be felt or noticed…

If I’m going to open my mouth… I may as well say a word that saves! I may as well say a name that causes trembling in high places! I may as well call out a word that causes healing to come into a body!

It’s time to start speaking Jesus over some things around us!

Think about the palm tree with me for just a minute...

When you look at the majestic palm tree… it goes up, 30, 40 feet in the air. And there’s that cluster of leaves up at the top. But I’ve read where the roots of the palm tree go down so deep...

And that’s why when the gale force winds begin to blow… you see that palm tree as it bows toward the earth… as it is whipped by the wind… (some of us have been a little whipped by the wind!)…

But when the storm is over… IT STANDS BACK UP STRAIGHT!

Sometimes the storm of life will bend you down and over! It’ll bend you until everybody thinks you’re going to break! But I’m here to tell you IF YOU’RE ROOTED IN JESUS… WHEN THE STORM IS OVER… YOU’RE GOING TO BE STANDING STRAIGHTER AND HIGHER THAN ALL THE REST!!!

Conclusion

Boy in the wheelchair at HYC who stood up after the name of Jesus was spoken over him.

Let’s use this name!