March 8, 2020 4 Understanding Our Legal Right to the Name of Jesus A preacher was on program at a district convention to preach for twenty minutes. The other preachers from the district were sitting behind him in the choir section, giving him moral support and throwing in an occassional "Amen" to help the preacher along. The preacher preached his twenty minutes and continued on despite alloted time. He preached for 30 minutes, then forty minutes and then for an hour. He even continued for an hour and ten minutes. Finally, a brother sitting on the front row took a song book and threw it at the preacher that was still going strong in his message. The preacher saw the song book as it was hurled his way and he ducked. The song book hit one of the preachers sitting in the choir section. As the man in the choir section was going down, you could hear him say, "Hit me again, I can still hear him preaching!" Fight the good fight of faith.... —1 Timothy 6:12 If there is a fight to faith, it follows that there are enemies to faith, otherwise what are we fighting? And as we have pointed out previously, the greatest enemy to faith is a lack of knowledge of God's Word. The Bible tells us, "... faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God" (Rom. 10:17). You can readily see that a lack of knowledge of God's Word would be the greatest hindrance to faith there is. As soon as we find out what God's Word says along certain lines, our faith is no longer hindered. One thing in our life that hinders our faith is a lack of knowledge of God's Word We have been studying hindrances to faith. The next hindrance to faith which we I want to look at is the lack of understanding of our legal right to the use of the Name of Jesus. Not understanding our legal right to use that Name holds us in bondage and gives us a sense of weakness. But by knowing what the Name will do, we can defeat Satan and enjoy victory every single time! How wonderful that the Name of Jesus belongs to the Church! It belongs to every member—even the least and weakest member—of the Body of Christ. Let's find out what the Word of God has to say about Jesus and His Name. The Word will then build faith into our spirits, our hearts, and our inner man. We will begin with the first chapter of Hebrews. This passage is speaking of Jesus, because it says, "Who being the brightness of his [God's] glory, and the express image of his [God's] person..." (Heb. 1:3). Jesus is the brightness of God's glory and the express image of God's person. He is the very outshining of God the Father. Hebrews 1:3-7 (NASB) 3  And He is the radiance of His glory and the exact representation of His nature, and upholds all things by the word of His power. When He had made purification of sins, He sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high, 4  having become as much better than the angels, as He has inherited a more excellent name than they. 5  For to which of the angels did He ever say, "YOU ARE MY SON, TODAY I HAVE BEGOTTEN YOU"? And again, "I WILL BE A FATHER TO HIM AND HE SHALL BE A SON TO ME"? 6  And when He again brings the firstborn into the world, He says, "AND LET ALL THE ANGELS OF GOD WORSHIP HIM." 7  And of the angels He says, "WHO MAKES HIS ANGELS WINDS, AND HIS MINISTERS A FLAME OF FIRE." Notice, these Scriptures show us that Jesus inherited His Name (v. 4). When did He inherit it? Jesus inherited the Name when He was raised from the dead. It was then that God said to Him, "Thou art my son, this day have I begotten thee" (v. 5). This verse does not refer to the birth of Jesus, because actually Jesus wasn't born as you and I understand being born. He just took upon Himself a body of flesh (Heb. 10:5). He had preexisted from eternity past with the Father. The time when Jesus was begotten refers to the resurrection when God raised Jesus from the dead. Acts 13:33 (NASB) 33  that God has fulfilled this promise to our children in that He raised up Jesus, as it is also written in the second Psalm, 'YOU ARE MY SON; TODAY I HAVE BEGOTTEN YOU.' This verse reveals to us that it was at Jesus' resurrection when God said, "Thou art my Son, this day have I begotten thee." Hallelujah! Jesus was begotten when God raised Him from the dead. It was after Jesus' resurrection when God revealed that all authority in heaven and earth had been given unto Jesus. Now let's read Ephesians 1:19-23. Take time to meditate on these verses. Think on them. Feed on them until they become a part of your inner consciousness. If you will take time to meditate on the Word, it will do something for you. But if you just casually read these Scriptures and let them get away from you, they won't mean anything to you or be able to accomplish anything for you. Ephesians 1:19-23 (NASB) 19  and what is the surpassing greatness of His power toward us who believe. These are in accordance with the working of the strength of His might 20  which He brought about in Christ, when He raised Him from the dead and seated Him at His right hand in the heavenly places, 21  far above all rule and authority and power and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this age but also in the one to come. 22  And He put all things in subjection under His feet, and gave Him as head over all things to the church, 23  which is His body, the fullness of Him who fills all in all. Philippians 2:8-11 (NASB) 8  Being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. 9  For this reason also, God highly exalted Him, and bestowed on Him the name which is above every name, 10  so that at the name of Jesus EVERY KNEE WILL BOW, of those who are in heaven and on earth and under the earth, 11  and that every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. The Rotherham translation of Philippians 2:10 reads, "In order that in the name of Jesus every knee might bow of beings in heaven, and on earth, and underground." This means angels, men, and demons must bow to the Name of Jesus. Notice in Philippians 2:8,9 that it was after Jesus' resurrection when His Name was conferred upon Him. After Jesus' resurrection was when God highly exalted Jesus. Now let's consider this question: Why was this Name conferred upon Jesus? In these Scriptures, it says that God raised Jesus up and gave Him a Name which is above all dominion, all authority, and all power. It says that God has highly exalted Jesus and seated Jesus at His own right hand far above all dominion and all authority and all power. Why was this Name invested with such authority and dominion? Was it done for Jesus' benefit? No! During the 2,000 years since the resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ and His ascension and seating on High at the right hand of the Father, Jesus has not used that Name once! The Scriptures do not give us any indication that Jesus Himself has ever used the Name. He has no need to use the Name! Jesus rules creation by His Word, because He is equal with God. This is what I want you to see: At its every mention in the Scriptures—we see that the Name of Jesus has been given to the Church to use! Every mention of the use of the Name is in reference to the Body of Christ! For purposes of study, let's connect these verses that pertain to the Name: Hebrews 1:4 (NASB) 4  having become as much better than the angels, as He has inherited a more excellent name than they. Ephesians 1:19-21 (NASB) 19  and what is the surpassing greatness of His power toward us who believe. These are in accordance with the working of the strength of His might 20  which He brought about in Christ, when He raised Him from the dead and seated Him at His right hand in the heavenly places, 21  far above all rule and authority and power and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this age but also in the one to come. Philippians 2:9-10 (NASB) 9  For this reason also, God highly exalted Him, and bestowed on Him the name which is above every name, 10  so that at the name of Jesus EVERY KNEE WILL BOW, of those who are in heaven and on earth and under the earth, Now we need to see that the Name belongs to the Church: Ephesians 1:21-23 (NASB) 21  far above all rule and authority and power and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this age but also in the one to come. 22  And He put all things in subjection under His feet, and gave Him as head over all things to the church, 23  which is His body, the fullness of Him who fills all in all. The Name of Jesus belongs to the Church, the Body of Christ! 1 Corinthians 12:27-28 (NASB) 27  Now you are Christ's body, and individually members of it. 28  And God has appointed in the church, first apostles, second prophets, third teachers, then miracles, then gifts of healings, helps, administrations, various kinds of tongues. In this 27th verse, the Bible says, "ye are the body of Christ," and in the very next verse, the Body of Christ is called the Church. Every mention in the Scriptures of the use of the Name of Jesus refers to its being used by His Body, the Church. The Name was given to Jesus so that His Body—the Church—could use it. So the Name which is above every name belongs to me and it belongs to you! We need to realize that according to God's Word that Name legally belongs to us. What are we doing about the Name? There was an old song people used to sing, "Take the name of Jesus with you, child of sorrow and of woe"? That's not us! That does not describe the Body of Christ, the Church of the Lord Jesus Christ! We are not children of sorrow and of woe. We belong to the King of kings. There was also another song that used the phrase: "Here I wander like a beggar through the heat and through the cold...." Well, in the first place, we are not beggars. The Bible says we are heirs of God—sons of God—and joint-heirs with Jesus Christ. In the second place, we are not wandering. We know exactly who we are and where we are going, praise God! One reason our faith has been hindered in the Body of Christ is because some of our songs have been embalmed with such unbelief. We in the Body of Christ have sung songs that really are unscriptural. And we've sung them so long we think they are the truth! Some are part scripture, part sentiment, and part unbelief. But they are not the truth—God's Word is truth! We need to stop and think sometimes about the effect the songs that we sing have on us spiritually. That's the trouble with us humans sometimes: We just follow blindly on without doing any thinking. We have done the same thing with the Name of Jesus: We have not realized the full importance of the Name. I think some have thought that we are just to take Jesus' Name along with us like a good luck charm; that the Name would work like a rabbit's foot or a horseshoe hanging over the door. But it doesn't work that way. Yes, the Name is given to us for our use. But we could take it along with us and never use it. And if we don't use it, the Name will never mean anything to us or be able to do anything for us. The Name of Jesus has been given to the Body of Christ for our benefit. God has made an investment with that Name for the Church. God has made a deposit—the Name of Jesus—from which the Church has the right to draw for her every need. Philippians 4:19 (NASB) 19  And my God will supply all your needs according to His riches in glory in Christ Jesus. You see, the Name—this wonderful Name—the Name of Jesus, has within it the fullness of the Godhead. The Name has within it all the wealth of eternity. The Name has within it all authority and power over all the powers of darkness. And that Name belongs to us! Now let's study how Jesus said we could use His Name. Jesus is saying in John 16:23,24 that the Church, the Body of Christ, has the right to come before the Father with that Name—to use His Name in prayer. John 16:23-24 (NASB) 23  "In that day you will not question Me about anything. Truly, truly, I say to you, if you ask the Father for anything in My name, He will give it to you. 24  "Until now you have asked for nothing in My name; ask and you will receive, so that your joy may be made full. Jesus said this to His disciples just before He went to the cross. He began with the phrase, "In that day. He was not speaking to them about the very hour in which they were living. No, Jesus was looking forward to another day. Jesus was looking forward to the "In that day"—after He would have gone to the cross ... died ... been buried ... been raised from the dead ... ascended on High ... and sat down at the right hand of the Father. "In that day" is the day we are living in now; it is the day of the New Covenant—the day of the New Testament! Jesus said, "In that day [of the New Covenant] ye shall ask me nothing... [But] Whatsoever ye... ask the Father in my name, he will give it you." This promise is one of the most staggering statements that ever fell from the lips of Jesus. This Scripture is the charter promise given to the Church regarding our rights in prayer. Jesus continued with the word "hitherto." "Hitherto have ye asked nothing in my name... " (John 16:24). Hitherto means "up to now"; "until now" or "until this time." You see, when Jesus was here on the earth no one prayed in His Name to God the Father. It was only after Jesus' death, burial, and resurrection, when He was exalted on High and seated at the right hand of God the Father, that the power and authority in that Name was conferred upon Him. And so Jesus said, "Hitherto [or up until now] have ye asked nothing in my name: ask [Hallelujah! He told us to ask!], and ye shall receive, that your joy may be full" Our Right to Jesus' Name Jesus is saying that believers, the Body of Christ, the Church—you and I—have the right to come in that Name to the Father. Jesus is telling us that we are to use His Name in prayer. Also notice in John 16:23,24 that Jesus does not mention faith or believing. He does not say, "If you believe, the Father will grant your request," or "If you have faith, the Father will give you what you need." No, Jesus says, "Whatsoever ye shall ask the Father IN MY NAME, he will give it you"! You see, Jesus has given us His Name. It's legally ours to use, and what is ours doesn't take faith to use. To say it another way, I drive an automobile. My car belongs to me; I possess the keys to it. It does not take faith for me to put the key in the ignition and drive away. I'm just using what already belongs to me. I don't need to turn in a prayer request every time I want to drive my car, asking the congregation to pray for me so I'll have the faith to put the key in the ignition to drive home. No, the car belongs to me. I simply use what already belongs to me! The Name of Jesus is the same way: It's already yours. The Name has been given to the Church to use. Use what already belongs to you! When you were born into the family of God, the right and the privilege to use the Name of Jesus became yours. It did take faith to get into the family of God because, "by grace are ye saved through faith..." (Eph. 2:8). But once you are born again into the family of God, everything that Jesus has bought and paid for—everything He has purchased—automatically belongs to you. It is all yours because you are in the family of God! Consider those carnal Christians at Corinth. Paul calls them "carnal" or as one translation reads, "body-ruled'' Christians. Most people wouldn't think these Corinthians could get anything from God because they were carnal. Yet Paul said to them, "... all things are yours ... And ye are Christ's; and Christ is God's" (1 Cor. 3:21,23). "All things are yours." Notice that it does not say all things are going to become yours. They already belong to you! But it is up to you to use what belongs to you. We can see an instance of this in the story of the prodigal son (Luke 15:11-32). Remember the elder brother who came in from the field? He heard the sound of music and dancing in celebration because they were having a banquet. He asked some of the servants what was going on and they told him, "Your brother, the prodigal, has come home and your father has made a feast for him. He has put a robe on him, shoes on his feet, a ring on his finger, and has killed the fatted calf and made a feast for him." The elder son got mad about it and wouldn't go in to the feast, so his father came out and entreated him. If that prodigal son is a type of the sinner or backslider, and the father is a type of God, then the elder brother is a type of a Christian who has not strayed away. And when the father came out and entreated him to come in and join the feast, the elder brother said, "No, I am not coming in. I have served you faithfully all these years. I never went away from you. I didn't go off and spend your money in riotous living. But you have never made a feast for me. You have never killed any fatted calf for me. You have never let me invite my friends in to have a feast." And the father replied, "Why, Son, ALL I HAVE IS YOURS" (Luke 15:31). It's strange, but that Scripture often falls on deaf ears. What most people are praying for is already theirs if they just knew how to take hold of it through the Name of Jesus! Sometimes they are like the elder brother. Backsliders or sinners can come in, get right with God, and be blessed instantly appropriating what belongs to them in Christ, and these people almost get mad about it.