Thursday, August 15, 2013

Lesson 4 The Power Of His Name

     Philippians 2:9-10 (Amplified) tells us, "Therefore, God has highly exalted Him and has freely bestowed on Him the name that is above every name."  Verse 10 continues, "That in (at) the name of Jesus every knee should (must) bow in heaven and on earth and under the earth."
     The name of Jesus is the power of all the body of Christ both now and in the ages to come.  Since we are the body and He is the head, then we are connected by that name.  As the body of Christ, we are His hands when we lay hands on the sick.  We are His feet when we go into the world.  We are His voice when we speak His Word and we are His arms when we hold the ones who need comfort.  We are one person; the head and the body are both called Jesus.
     This name is truly the name above all names.  When His name is used in faith by the believer, it's the same as though Jesus Himself has spoken.  No Christian would ever say that the name of Jesus is void of power, but yet we seem reluctant to speak it out against the enemy.  Somehow we've been talked into believing that we are not worthy of His name.  We want to stay humble before God and yet we want to declare we are born again.  By confessing that we're unworthy we're really telling the Father that Jesus was not enough to redeem you.  We've been taught for centuries that it's prideful to proclaim we're righteous even though it was God Who declared you to be righteous in Jesus.  The teachings many receive will tell you that "you're just an old sinner saved by grace."  Yet in the Word, God declared that through Jesus "our sins and iniquities He remembers no more."  Everything we are in the new birth is because of Jesus.  It's not by our words, but by His.  But, because it's by Him then we should not diminish His work by denying it by false humility.
     We talk about "being but dung" and how much of a wretch we are.  It may sound humble to the Church, but it doesn't sound humble to God.  To stand in the face of God and declare that you are a "beggar on a dung hill" is like saying that Jesus' sacrifice wasn't enough to cleanse you.
     We are what we are because of Jesus and what we are is a far cry from what we were.  We somehow have thought that everything that Jesus did for us is put off until we get to heaven.  If this is our attitude about the Word and the works of Calvary, then we're not much of a threat to the enemy as far as the devil is concerned.
     If the name of Jesus is to be used against the enemy, then who is to use it?  We, as the body of Christ, have been given this name to do with it the same as Jesus did when He walked among men.  The power of His name, when spoken in faith by a believer, is the same as if Jesus spoke it Himself.
     When Jesus spoke to sickness; it left.  When Jesus spoke to demons they cried out and obeyed.  When we speak to sickness or demons in the name of Jesus, it still holds the same power.  Satan isn't intimidated by you or me, but he's afraid of the name of Jesus.
     The authority that the devil has used for so long was usurped authority and was taken by deceit.  The authority the believer has is delegated authority that was taken from the devil by conquest.  This authority was given to the believer by Jesus Himself to continue what He came to do.  Once Jesus was raised from the dead and received in heaven by the Father, this name became ours to use now to fulfill His call in the earth.
     when Jesus commanded "go into all the earth and preach and make disciples," He didn't intend for us to do it in our own name or power.  When Jesus said to use His name as the badge of authority that would move a mountain if need be, we were to use it that way.  The believer is always conscience of the fact that it's not me, but the father in me who does the works.
     You're not exalting yourself by laying hands on the sick or casting out demons or bringing forth a miracle.  You're exalting Jesus because His name is the power that produces these acts.  When a good job is done on your car engine, you don't tell the wrench how great it is.  You tell the mechanic.  So, when someone is healed, it's not the person (or the tool), but the Lord who receives the glory.
     We need to learn how to really believe in what Jesus did and begin to walk in it.  If He made you righteous, then believe that you are righteous.  It's not because of you...it's because of Him.
     If God made you to be the righteousness of God in Christ Jesus like in  2 Corinthians 5:21 (Amplified) , then your confession should be what God said you are and not what you think you are.  True Bible humility is not that you're unworthy, but that because of Jesus, you have been made worthy (whether or not you feel like it).
     That's really what faith is all about.  My faith is in the finished work of Jesus and not about me.  2 Corinthians 5:17 (Amplified) declares that through Jesus my old man is done away with and I am a new creation in Him.  I don't always feel righteous, but it's not my righteousness that allows me access to my Father, but His righteousness.  So, I humbles myself to believe what God says I am and not in myself. 
     The power of His name isn't when I feel like I have this privilege, but by what the Word said about it.  His name has all the power whether or not I feel like it.  Take what He gave you and forget about you for a while and just walk with Him.  Demons still tremble at His name; not your name.  Just believe in who you are in Him and don't worry about who you used to be.  His name still works.

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