THE NAME OF JESUS IN THE BOOK OF ACTS JESUS GAVE TO THE CHURCH the power of attorney to use His Name. In the Gospel of John we have the record of this legal act on the part of the Master. John 15:16, “Ye did not choose me, but I chose you, and appointed you, that ye should go and bear fruit, and that your fruit should abide; that whatsoever ye shall ask of the Father in my name, he may give it you.” The disciples are commissioned to go and bear fruit; and they are given a legal right to use the Name of Jesus and to have the same authority that Jesus exercised in His earth walk. John 16:23, 24 (American Standard Version), “And in that day ye shall ask me nothing (or ye shall not pray to me). Verily, verily, I say unto you, if ye shall ask anything of the Father, He will give it you in my name. Hitherto have ye asked nothing in my name: ask, and ye shall receive, that your joy may be made full.” And in the twenty-sixth verse, “In that day ye shall ask in my name: and I say not unto you, that I will pray the Father for you; for the Father himself loveth you, because ye have loved me, and have believed that I came forth from the Father.” First, the Master says that we are not to pray to Him. He is the Mediator between us and the Father. He is our Advocate and our Intercessor; but whatsoever we ask of the Father in His Name, the Father will give to us. Jesus says that up to this time we have never asked anything in His Name, but that now He is giving His disciples the right to use His Name. He uses this strange expression, “that your joy may be made full.” Happiness comes from circumstances. Joy alone comes from the Lord. There is to come to us a joy through the miraculous use of the Name of Jesus. He told us that “in that day” it would not be necessary for Him to pray to the Father for us; “for the Father himself loveth you.” We have access into His Presence. Now we can come boldly into His Presence any time. As Jesus representatives we are doing business for the Father in Jesus Name. In John 14:13-15 we see the Name introduced. This is not prayer; it is something different. “And whatsoever ye shall ask in my name, that will I do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son.” This is not prayer. That word “ask” here can be translated “demand.” “And whatsoever ye shall demand in my name that will I do.” Jesus says that He will make that good. What does He mean? In Acts 16:18 we read the story of Paul casting the demon out of a girl that had a spirit of divination: “But Paul, being sore troubled, turned and said to the spirit, I charge thee in the Name of Jesus Christ to come out of her. And it came out that very hour.” Paul is casting a demon out of a girl in the Name of Jesus. Acts 3:1-16 tells us the story of Peter and John healing the man at the Beautiful Gate. The fourth verse, “And Peter, fastening his eyes upon him, with John, said, Look on us. And he gave heed unto them, expecting to receive something from them. But Peter said, Silver and gold have I none; but what I have that give I thee. In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, walk.” The man was instantly healed. Ankle bones that had never sustained his body were suddenly made normal. When the people gathered around them, Peter said, “Ye men of Israel, why marvel ye at this man? Or why fasten ye your eyes on us, as though by our own power or godliness we had made him to walk? The God of Jacob, the God of our fathers, hath glorified his Servant Jesus; whom ye delivered up, and denied before the face of Pilate, when he had determined to release him. But ye denied the Holy and Righteous One, and asked for a murderer to be granted unto you, and killed the Prince of life, whom God raised from the dead; whereof we are witnesses; and now on the ground of faith in His Name hath His Name made this man strong, whom ye behold and know; yea, the faith which is through him hath given him this perfect soundness in the presence of you all.” Peter is using his legal right to use the Name of Jesus. In John 14:14 we read, “If ye shall ask anything in my name that will I do.” In the previous verse we see, “That the Father may be glorified in the Son.” The Father is going to get glory from our use of the Name of Jesus to heal the sick and cast out demons, and in the working of miracles. Mark 16:17-20, “And these signs shall accompany them that believe: in my name shall they cast out demons; they shall speak with new tongues; they shall take up serpents, and if they drink any deadly thing, it shall in no wise hurt them; they shall lay hands on the sick and they shall recover. “So then the Lord Jesus, after he had spoken unto them, was received up into heaven, and sat down at the right hand of God. And they went forth, and preached everywhere, the Lord working with them, and confirming the word by the signs that followed.” Here is the place of the Name of Jesus in the daily ministry of the Church. You see, it has the same authority treasured up in it that Jesus has. Matthew 28:18-19, “And Jesus came to them and spake unto them, saying, All authority hath been given unto me in heaven and on earth. Go ye, therefore, and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them into the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit; teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I commanded you: and lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the age.” Jesus is going to accompany the Church in its earth walk in the power and might of His Name. You mark that Jesus has all authority given to Him in heaven and on earth. That authority is in His Name. Philippians 2:5-11. (Read this carefully.) We will use the ninth to the eleventh verses, “Wherefore also God highly exalted him, and gave unto him the name which is above every name; that in the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of beings in heaven and beings on earth and beings under the earth, and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.” Jesus is given the highest position in the universe. He has the name which is above every name, with all the authority of God in it. That name has been given to the Church, to us common folks, to use. In that name we are masters of demons and of their works. Ephesians 1:19-23. Here is Pauls prayer for us that the eyes of our hearts may be opened that we may know the exceeding greatness of His ability on our behalf; it is to us who believe. “That ability is according to the strength of His might which He wrought in Christ when He raised Him from the dead and made Him to sit in the heavenlies far above every power or might or dominion, and above every name not only in this age, but also in that which is to come. And He put all things in subjection under His feet and made Him to be Head of all things to the Church which is His body, the fullness of Him that filleth all in all.” This translation is almost literal, but I like it because it unveils to us the very heart of this revelation. Now notice that God has lifted Jesus above every name and every authority in the universe; He has put all things in subjection under His feet. The Church is His feet. And He gave Him to be the Head over all things to the benefit of the Church which is His body; and His body is the fullness of Him that filleth all things in all. We have never recognized what we are in Christ in the mind of the Father. We are the absolute masters of demons and their forces in the earth. Now let us turn to the Book of Acts. The first reference is Acts 2:38. On the Day of Pentecost, when the mighty outpouring of the Spirit was in the room, and the disciples received Eternal Life, Peter began to preach; and the men cried out afterward and said unto Peter and the rest of the apostles, “Men, what must we do?” And Peter said, “Repent ye, and be baptized everyone of you for the remission of your sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.” They were Jews that knew nothing of what He is doing now at the Right Hand of the Father on High. Peter told them to be baptized in that Name. Three thousand Jews responded that day to that call he gave. “And it came to pass on the morrow, that their rulers and elders and scribes were gathered together in Jerusalem; and Annas the high priest was there, and Caiaphas, and John, and Alexander, and as many as were of the kindred of the high priest.” This was the same crowd that had murdered Jesus. “And when they had set them in the midst, they inquired, By what power, or in what name, have ye done this? Then Peter, filled with the Holy Spirit, said unto them, Ye rulers of the people, and elders, if we this day are examined concerning a good deed done to an impotent man, by what means this man is made whole; be it known unto you all, and to all the people of Israel, that in the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom ye crucified, whom God raised from the dead, even in him doth this man stand here before you whole.” Then here Peters voice rings out, “He is the stone which was set at nought of you the builders, which was made the head of the corner. And in none other is there salvation: for neither is there any other name under heaven, that is given among men, wherein we must be saved. “Now when they beheld the boldness of Peter and John, and had perceived that they were unlearned and ignorant men, they marvelled; and they took knowledge of them, that they had been with Jesus. And seeing the man that was healed standing with them, they could say nothing against it.” They marvelled. They had to admit that a notable miracle had been wrought through them. But notice this, “But that it spread no further among the people, let us threaten them, that they speak henceforth to no man in this name. And they called them, and charged them not to speak at all nor teach in the name of Jesus. But Peter and John answered and said unto them, Whether it is right in the sight of God to hearken unto you rather than unto God, judge ye; for we cannot but speak the things which we saw and heard.” The Name of Jesus had created greater consternation in the city than Jesus had in His earth walk. The disciples went to their room where they were gathered and had a prayer meeting; and in their prayer they said this (Acts 4:29-31), “And now, Lord, look upon their threatenings: and grant unto thy servants to speak thy word with all boldness, while thou stretchest forth thy hand to heal; and that signs and wonders may be done through the name of thy holy child Jesus. And when they had prayed, the place was shaken wherein they were gathered together.” The thirty-third verse tells us, “And with great power gave the apostles their witness of the resurrection of the Lord Jesus: and great grace was upon them all.” You must read this book with great care. Begin with the first chapter and read it through, marking every place where the Name is used; and mark how it was used and the circumstances surrounding it. Notice Acts 5:27, 28. Fear had fallen upon the leaders of Israel. They were combating a force that they had never met before. Jesus they had crucified, but His Name was more powerful than the Man Himself. “And to him they agreed; and when they had called the apostles unto them, they beat them and charged them not to speak in the Name of Jesus, and let them go.” Acts 5:40, “They therefore departed from the presence of the council, rejoicing that they were counted worthy to suffer dishonor for the Name.” The Church has never been persecuted since then for the Name of Jesus. You will find that as we go through the Book of Acts, that the Name of Jesus was their method of advertising; they had miracles everywhere. Acts 8:12-16. “But when they believed Philip preaching good tidings concerning the kingdom of God and the name of Jesus Christ, they were baptized, both men and women.” You notice that Philip not only preached Jesus as a Saviour, but he also preached about the Name. The sixteenth verse tells how they were baptized into the Name of the Lord Jesus. Read that chapter carefully, note the miracles that followed the use of that Name. Acts 9:14-16 gives us the conversion of Paul. Read this section very carefully and notice the place of the Name. The sixteenth verse, “For I will show him how many things he must suffer for my Names sake.” Jesus is talking to Ananias. Paul is to suffer for the Name. About the only suffering we have today in the Church is that for our eccentricities and our Sense Knowledge teaching. Paul begins to preach at once. In the twenty-first verse we read, “And all that heard him were amazed, and said, Is not this he that in Jerusalem made havoc of them that called on this Name?” Then Barnabas takes Paul back to Jerusalem; and in the twenty-seventh verse, “And declared unto them how he had seen the Lord in the way, and that he had spoken to Him, and how at Damascus he had preached boldly in the Name of Jesus.” I wonder if you are grasping the significance of the Name. We have preached everything but the Name. Acts 10:43-48. (Read this whole chapter over carefully.) “To Him bear all the prophets witness, that through His Name every one that believeth on him shall receive remission of sins.” Read and study carefully the following: Acts 15:25, 26; 16:18; 19:5, 17; 21:13; 22:16; 26:9. We have seen the authority of the Name of Jesus and the results that followed its use in the Book of Acts. QUESTIONS What is meant by the term “power of attorney”? Explain how the disciples are commissioned to go and bear fruit. Explain John 14:13-15. In what authority was the commission in Mark 16:17-20 given? b. To whom? c. For how long? What place does the Name of Jesus hold in the daily ministry of the church? What is a disciple? Explain how disciples are made. Explain Philippians 2:5-10. How does the fact that Jesus has a Name above every other name affect the church today? What significance has the Name of Jesus as used in Acts 10:43-48? Give and explain at least three scriptures showing the use of the Name of Jesus in the Book of Acts. Advanced Bible Course Kindly share this post
Posted on: Fri, 26 Dec 2014 15:00:00 +0000
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