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5 Let this mind be in
you, which was also in Christ Jesus: 6 Who, being in
the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God: 7 But made
himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made
in the likeness of men: 8 And being
found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death,
even the death of the cross. (Phil 2:4-8)
10 That at the
name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in
earth, and things under the earth; 11 And that every
tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God
the Father. (Phil 2:10-11)
What is in a Name, asked the greatest of English writers, William
Shakespeare. In his play, he has Juliet make this statement concerning a name
and its meaning:
What's in a name? That which we call a rose
By any other name would smell as sweet.
Romeo & Juliet, II, ii, 1-2
This is a broad statement that is partly true and partly false. In
biblical times, names meant much more than they do today in our modern culture.
But God considers our names to be important: A good name is better
than precious ointment; and the day of death than the day of one's birth. (Eccl 7:1). If a good name is of such value, imagine the worth of
a bad name to the powers of Heaven.
It was the Hebrew tradition to name a person based upon their
anticipated character. This is still true in most Asian nations and, of course,
our Lord was born in Asia. For example, the name Abram meant ‘exalted father.’
It was later changed by God to ‘Abraham’ which means ‘Father of Many Nations’
(Gen 17:5). Each of the Elect of God have a particular name written down in the
Book of Life – a name given us by God Himself. He that hath an ear,
let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches; To him that overcometh
will I give to eat of the hidden manna, and will give him a white stone, and in
the stone a new name written, which no man knoweth saving he that receiveth it. (Rev
2:17)
So, it seems a name must mean far more than Shakespeare’s Juliet
averred in her play. We may know for certain that a name given by God Himself
must be treasured. And we also know that there is One Name that excels every
other name – JESUS! Five letters only, yet of supreme importance! 21 And she shall
bring forth a son, and thou shalt call his name JESUS: for he shall save his
people from their sins. (Matt 1:21)
Ihsou'ß (or Iesous in the
Greek) which means, Jehovah is Salvation! In the Hebrew, the name is the same
as Joshua (Yehoshua) with the same meaning. Joshua led the Children of Israel
into the promised land as our Lord Jesus Christ leads us into that Paradise
with God the Father. His further titled name is CHRIST which means ‘Anointed
One, or Messiah’ It was this Anointed One that was foreordained from before the
foundation of the world to save His people; therefore, it is obvious that God
was not surprised at the Fall of Adam – in fact, He knew of it ere it happened
and made provision for it.
The
Name of Jesus is of such simplicity, yet of tremendous import to our souls.
This is true of all of the works of God – Simplicity Exemplified! Men of
theological studies invent great and hard to be understood terms to express
simple truths which the Bible expresses in elementary language that all can
understand. Actually, the higher critics parse the Word of God to the point
that all is cast in some doubt. Such men are wicked and seek to elevate
themselves to the detriment of Holy Truth. Jesus, too, despite His Almighty
Power, was simple in His approach to others. He wore simple attire, ate with
all classes of people, never treated the desperate sinner with contempt but
rather with the most tender affection. In warfare, there is no room for elaborate
or complicated actions. The slogan I learned in ‘Beast Barracks’ was the simple
acronym, K.I.S.S. (Keep it Simple, Stupid). Let us face the truth: we are
engaged in battle of the most profound proportions. The enemy has mustered
great numbers and munitions against us, but we have the victory won by our
Field Commander. The end of that battle will be concluded with Artillery Fire
from Heaven itself. Do you think I am exaggerating? Read these words of
prophetic truth: 9 And they went up on the breadth of the
earth, and compassed the camp of the saints about, and the beloved city: and
fire came down from God out of heaven, and devoured them. 10 And the devil
that deceived them was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone, where the
beast and the false prophet are, and shall be tormented day and night for
ever and ever. (Rev 20:8-10)
That
Name above every other name is full of meaning. Every adjective that expresses
righteousness, virtue, compassion, love, understanding, generosity, self-sacrifice
. . . . all of these are descriptive of that single Name. That Name
means the WAY, the TRUTH, and it means the ONLY source of LIFE! It means BREAD
of HEAVEN; it means WATER of LIFE; it means the ALPHA and OMEGA; it means our
PASSOVER; and it means our SABBATH REST.
That
NAME is full of POWER; in fact ALL POWER: 18 And Jesus came
and spake unto them, saying, All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth. (Matt 28:18)
That
NAME incorporates all time and Eternity. That NAME is the GREAT I AM. 8 Jesus Christ
the same yesterday, and to day, and for ever. (Heb
13:8 It represents the Eternal Presence. To Abraham,
Isaac, and Jacob, He was the I AM. He was the I AM at Creation, and continues
to be the I AM of the Apocalypse. He is that Friend that sticketh closer
than a brother always. We have had friends that have betrayed us in times
past. In some cases, perhaps it was only a small betrayal, but a betrayal
nevertheless. Even Peter betrayed His Lord in his three-fold denial on the
occasion of the Lord’s mock trial. But Jesus is the Friend that never changes.
The Lord’s face we see in His Word at early morning is the same as we saw at
the lengthening shadows of the previous twilight hour. It is the NAME by which
we must be saved. I am the resurrection, and the life: he that believeth in me, though
he were dead, yet shall he live: And whosoever liveth and believeth in me
shall never die. Believest thou this? (John
11:25-26)
It
is by the invocation of this name by which we seal our prayers to the Father. Verily, verily, I say
unto you, He that believeth on me, the works that I do shall he do also; and
greater works than these shall he do; because I go unto my
Father. And whatsoever ye shall ask in my name, that will I do, that the
Father may be glorified in the Son. 14 If ye shall ask
any thing in my name, I will do it. (John 14:12-14)
It is in the unity of that NAME by which we gather for worship and
fellowship: For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I
in the midst of them. (Matt 18:20)
It
is the ONLY Name whereby we must be saved: Neither is there salvation in any
other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we
must be saved. (Acts 4:12)
Finally,
we must ask, What does it mean to pray in Jesus’ Name? Does it mean that there
is a sorcerer’s power embodied in that Name that we may use to petition all of
our desires both Holy and unholy? No, absolutely not. It means to pray in His
Will for all in our lives. If we simply pray HIS Will, we are assured of an
answer blessed with His love and compassion. However, we do not call upon that
Name with frivolous intent. We cannot pray in unbelieving terms and expect an
answer according to our own wills. You will remember that He said, I am the WAY! If we follow Him
in Spirit and in Truth, we will be on that WAY. That WAY means His perfect
WILL. It does not mean OUR way, but His. So when we pray in His Name, we are
praying with His seal of authority and approbation. If we happen to be
travelling that broad way that leads down to the pit, we are not in His WAY or
WILL. But perchance, we repent and turn from that way to return to Him, as did
the Prodigal, He will always hear our prayer.
We
do not take that NAME in vain. Does this mean in cursing and profanity? Yes, it
does, but it means more. When we pray in the Name of the Lord for the purpose
of impressing others, as did the Pharisee before the Temple, then we are
praying in vain. If we pray prayers in His Name that are simply uttered in
abandon of meaning out of rote memory, then we are praying in vain. It may be
that the most prayers of vanity are prayed in churches every Sunday when the
Lord’s Prayer, or General Confession is recited without acknowledgement of the
meaning of every phrase. Would that not be praying in vain? Thou shalt not
take the name of the LORD thy God in vain; for the LORD will not hold him
guiltless that taketh his name in vain. (Ex
20:7)
A Prayer
fit for the Occasion:
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O
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GRACIOUS Father, we humbly
beseech thee for thy (Anglican Orthodox) Church; that thou wouldest be pleased
to fill it with all truth, in all peace. Where it is corrupt, purify it; where
it is in error, direct it; where in any thing it is amiss, reform it. Where it
is right, establish it; where it is in want, provide for it; where it is
divided, reunite it; for the sake of him who died and rose again, and ever
liveth to make intercession for us, Jesus Christ, thy Son, our Lord. Amen.
1928 Book of Common Prayer as amended.
