Oh, how I love His name. There is no other name in heaven or earth that carries the authority and power of His name. No other god–NO OTHER god, is even in the same ballpark. Isaiah declared His name:
For unto us a Child is born,
Unto us a Son is given;
And the government will be upon His shoulder.
And His name will be called
Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God,
Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. (Isaiah 9:6)
Thirty-nine years ago, one of my favorite songs to sing to our daughter when I nursed her or tucked her into bed was “His Name is Wonderful,” by Carmen.
His name is Wonderful, His name is Wonderful,
His name is Wonderful, Jesus my Lord;
He is the mighty King, master of everything,
His name is Wonderful, Jesus, my Lord.
He’s the great Shepherd, the Rock of all ages,
Almighty God is He;
Bow down before Him, love and adore Him,
His name is Wonderful, Jesus, my Lord. (Listen: begin here-3:59)
Today we have so many songs that declare the power of His name. One of the favorites–“What a Beautiful Name It Is,” by Hillsong.
There is no other name or god like Him anywhere and Paul declare the humility and supremacy of Jesus here in Philippians 2: 5-11:
Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus, 6 who, being in the form of God, did not consider it robbery to be equal with God, 7 but made Himself of no reputation, taking the form of a bondservant, and coming in the likeness of men. 8 And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross. 9 Therefore God also has highly exalted Him and given Him the name which is above every name, 10 that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those in heaven, and of those on earth, and of those under the earth, 11 and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.
There are many people in this world that worship before idols of wood and stone. They call upon their god but receive little measurable response. Look at this piece out of Jeremiah 10:5-10 in the VOICE Bible:
The idol just stands there—
lifeless, powerless like a scarecrow in a cucumber patch.
It cannot speak. It cannot move. They must pick the thing up and bring it along.
Do you see why there’s nothing to fear from these dead pieces of wood?
They cannot harm you, and they cannot help you either.
6 O Eternal One, there is no comparison.
You are great; even Your name is powerful.
7 Who wouldn’t worship You? It is only right;
You are the King of all kingdoms.
The wise and powerful men of all nations in their realms
are still nothing compared to You.
8 They are stupid fools for taking their cues from blocks of wood,
as if that idol could lead them anywhere.
9 Beaten silver from Tarshish, and hammered gold from Uphaz—
materials made by artisans and goldsmiths—
Draped with royal blue and purple,
even with the work of craftsmen—still a lifeless object!
10 Just look at the contrast! The Eternal is the True God:
He is the living God and eternal King, not some lifeless idol.
Have you read 1 Kings 18 lately? What a story, as Elijah has a showdown with the 450 prophets of Baal. His challenge illustrates for all time the supremacy and power of God over all other gods.
Here are pieces from that chapter starting with verse 21:
Elijah stood in front of them and said, “How much longer will you waver, hobbling between two opinions? If the Lord is God, follow him! But if Baal is God, then follow him!”
He instructed them to build an altar and prepare a sacrifice but to call on their god to light the fire.
So, they called on their god from morning until night without any response.
After their failed attempts, Elijah rebuilt the altar of the LORD that had been torn down He rebuilt it in the name of the LORD, added wood and a sacrifice, and had the whole thing drenched with water several times.
Then, without striving or performance, it says:
36 …Elijah the prophet walked up to the altar and prayed, “O LORD, God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, prove today that You are God in Israel and that I am Your servant. Prove that I have done all this at Your command. 37 O LORD, answer me! Answer me so these people will know that You, O LORD are God and that You have brought them back to Yourself.”
38 Immediately the fire of the LORD flashed down from heaven and burned up the young bull, the wood, the stones, and the dust. It even licked up all the water in the trench! 39 And when all the people saw it, they fell face down on the ground and cried out, “The LORD—He is God! Yes, the LORD is God!”
In Jesus’ closing time on earth, told His disciples:
“Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature. He who believes and is baptized will be saved; but he who does not believe will be condemned. And these signs will accompany those who have believe: in My name they will cast out demons, they will speak with new tongues; they will pick up serpents, and if they drink any deadly poison, it will not hurt them; they will lay hands on the sick, and they will recover.” (Mark 16:15-18)
In Luke 10:17 follower of Jesus come back with a testimony after being sent out to minister: The seventy returned with joy, saying, “Lord, even the demons are subject to us in Your name.”
In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus broadened His assignment to include those who follow Him:
“You are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hidden. Nor do they light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a lampstand, and it gives light to all who are in the house. Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven. (Matthew 5:14-16)
Notice the similarity in these verses from the book of John:
And whatever you ask in My name, that I will do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. (John 14:13)
You did not choose Me, but I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit, and that your fruit should remain, that whatever you ask the Father in My name He may give you. (John 15:16).
The asking in Jesus’ name isn’t some magical formula for us to ask for ‘anything’ we want. Let’s look at this verse in context, starting with verse 9 in John 15:
9 “As the Father loved Me, I also have loved you; abide in My love. 10 If you keep My commandments, you will abide in My love, just as I have kept My Father’s commandments and abide in His love. 11 “These things I have spoken to you, that My joy may remain in you, and that your joy may be full. 12 This is My commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you. 13 Greater love has no one than this, than to lay down one’s life for his friends. 14 You are My friends if you do whatever I command you. 15 No longer do I call you servants, for a servant does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, for all things that I heard from My Father I have made known to you. 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 remain, that whatever you ask the Father in My name He may give you.
This “whatever you ask,” comes out of an abiding, listening and doing God’s will in relationship with Him. As such, our asking will be based on knowing His will and wanting to see His will accomplished. We are ambassadors of King Jesus. We carry the supremacy and authority of His name to establish His Kingdom as we walk in His love, using His power.
And this is our assignment as disciples: Matthew 10:7-8 And as you go, preach, saying, ‘The kingdom of heaven is at hand.’ Heal the sick, cleanse the lepers, raise the dead, cast out demons. Freely you have received, freely give.
In what is often called the Great Commission, Jesus imparted His authority to His disciples and to those who will believe (this includes you and me):
18 And Jesus came and spoke to them, saying, “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. 19 Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” Amen. (Matthew 28:18-20)
After Jesus ascended to heaven, Peter and John were entering the Temple and saw a lame man sitting on the ground crying out for alms (money). The man, lame since birth, was well-known by those who came to the Temple.
Peter and John saw him and Peter said, “Look at us.” 5 So he gave them his attention, expecting to receive something from them. 6 Then Peter said, “Silver and gold I do not have, but what I do have I give you: In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, rise up and walk.” 7 And he took him by the right hand and lifted him up, and immediately his feet and ankle bones received strength. 8 So he, leaping up, stood and walked and entered the temple with them—walking, leaping, and praising God. 9 And all the people saw him walking and praising God. 10 Then they knew that it was he who sat begging alms at the Beautiful Gate of the temple; and they were filled with wonder and amazement at what had happened to him. Acts 3:5-10 (Peter spoke in His name and God was glorified.)
I know there is a ton of scripture here in this blog, but His word carries life. It is my hope that you’ve received a fresh deposit of the majesty of our Savior King and of the magnitude of the call He’s placed on us to carry His name, for His glory.
As you focus this week on His name, ask Holy Spirit to give you a fresh revelation of when and how to use it in your life to express His Kingdom–with your family, your school mates, the people at your job or the ones you meet along the way. The ‘Go Ye into all the world’, starts at your address and moves out. He sends us with His name enabling us to distribute His life to all we encounter. Let’s glorify the Father this week in the name of Jesus. ♥
Hear God's Heart 