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Scripture Reading: Phil. 2:9-11; Eph. 1:21; John 14:13-14; 15:16; 16:23-24, 26a; Mark 16:17; Luke 10:17-19; 24:47; Acts 3:6; 4:7, 10, 12; 10:43; 16:18; 19:5; 1 Cor. 6:11
Before God we have to be particularly clear about one thing: the name of the Lord Jesus. No one on earth can be saved without the name of the Lord Jesus, and no one can be useful in the hand of God without knowing the name of the Lord Jesus. We must know the meaning of the name of the Lord Jesus. What a pity that the name of the Lord has become so common in man’s conversation! Many times, the phrase in the name of the Lord Jesus has become something meaningless! Man often hears and reads this expression repeatedly to the point that he does not know what it means to be in the name of Jesus Christ. We have to ask God to help us understand afresh the significance of the familiar name of the Lord Jesus.
The name of the Lord Jesus is something special. It is something that the Lord did not have while He was on earth. Matthew 1 tells us that when the Lord Jesus was on earth, His name was Jesus. But Philippians 2 says that He became obedient even unto death and that the death of a cross, and therefore, God highly exalted Him and bestowed on Him the name which is above every name. What is this name? Philippians 2:10-11 says, “That in the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those who are in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue should openly confess that Jesus Christ is Lord to the glory of God the Father.” This name is “the name of Jesus.” He did not receive this name when He was on earth. After He ascended to heaven He received this name. He was already called Jesus when He was on earth. Through His obedience unto death on the cross, God exalted Him. In His exaltation, the name which is above every name was bestowed upon Him. The name which is above every name is “the name of Jesus.”
Not only did Paul receive the revelation of such a change in the Lord’s name, but also the Lord Jesus Himself spoke of a great change in His own name in the Gospel of John. He said, “Until now you have asked for nothing in My name; ask and you shall receive.…In that day you will ask in My name” (John 16:24, 26). “In that day” we will ask in His name. On the day the Lord spoke this word, He had not yet received the name which is above every name. It was not until that day that He received the name above every name. It was not until that day that we could ask the Father in His name.
May the Lord open our eyes to see the great change in the Lord’s name after His ascension. We cannot fathom this change in our mind. This name is the name given by God, and it is a name that is above every name.
What does this name signify? This name signifies authority and power. Why does this name signify authority and power? Philippians 2:10-11 says, “That in the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those who are in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue should openly confess that Jesus Christ is Lord to the glory of God the Father.” This is authority. Every knee has to bow to the name of Jesus, and everyone has to call Jesus the Lord because of His name. Hence, the name of Jesus denotes the fact that God has given Him the all-transcending authority and power.
In Luke 10:17 the disciples said to the Lord, “Lord, even the demons are subject to us in Your name.” It was a great thing for the disciples to cast out demons in the name of the Lord. The demons may not be afraid of many names on earth. But when the disciples did anything in the name of the Lord Jesus, the demons were subject to them. Later the Lord explained why His name made the demons subject to them. He said, “I have given you the authority to tread…over all the power of the enemy” (v. 19). Hence, the name equals authority. Where the name is, there is authority.
This is not all. Even the rulers among the Jews knew this. After Peter raised the lame man, the rulers called the apostles before them the next day and asked, “By what power or in what name did you do this?” (Acts 4:7). In other words, what authority did they have in telling the man to stand up and walk? They knew that with every name there was authority. Hence, the name of Jesus denotes all the authority that God has committed to Him. We are not saying that the name itself is the authority; the effect of the name is authority.
In the New Testament, not only do we see the name of Jesus; we also see one very peculiar expression: “in the name of Jesus.” Brothers and sisters, have we seen this? It is not just a matter of the name of Jesus Christ but a matter of being in the name of Jesus Christ. If we read God’s Word carefully and if we pursue the spiritual pathway, we may often say that we do things in the name of the Lord Jesus or that we do things in the name of Jesus Christ, but actually we do not know what it is to be in this name. If we do not know how to do things in the name of the Lord Jesus, we cannot even be a Christian. Hence, we have to see the meaning of being in the name of the Lord Jesus.
The first time the Lord Jesus mentioned being in His name was in John 14—16. After the Lord washed the disciples’ feet, He spoke with the disciples. The Lord said distinctly in these three chapters what we can do when we do things in His name. He said, “Whatever you ask in My name, that I will do.…If you ask Me anything in My name, I will do it” (14:13-14). All the way from chapters fourteen through sixteen, He repeatedly told the disciples to ask “in My name.” This shows us not only that He would one day receive a name above every name, but also that the disciples could use this name. It is also a name you and I can use. This name is the name God gave to His Son Jesus, which has, in turn, been put in our hands. It is now in my hands and in your hands. You and I and everyone else can now use this name. Consequently, the Bible mentions not only that the Lord Jesus has received a name which is above every name, but it mentions also the experience of being in the name of Jesus Christ. Not only is there His name, but there is also such a thing as being in His name. The name of Jesus Christ is the name He received before God, and being in the name of Jesus Christ is for God’s children to partake of this name. Hence, being in the name of the Lord Jesus is to partake of His name. It means that we can use this name. Brothers and sisters, we have to realize that this is the greatest thing committed to us from God and the Lord Jesus.
Why do we say that God has committed the name of Jesus to us? What does committed mean? God commissions us to preach the gospel; He commissions us to do a certain work, and He commissions us to go to a certain place and speak for Him. All these are what God has commissioned us to do. But the meaning of being in the name of the Lord Jesus does not refer to this kind of commission. Being in the name of the Lord Jesus means that God has committed His Son to us. God is not committing us to do a work; He has committed His Son to us. God is not charging us to go; He is charging us to take His Son with us. This is the meaning of being in the name of the Lord Jesus.
Being in the name of the Lord Jesus is for God to commit His Son to us. Suppose you have a sum of money in the bank. When you want to withdraw the money, you must use your seal. If you ask a friend to withdraw the money on your behalf, you have to give him the seal. When he goes to withdraw the money, it will be very easy because he has the seal in his hand. When he goes to the bank, writes ten dollars on a check, and puts the seal on the check, he will receive ten dollars. Being in the name of the Lord is like the Lord Jesus giving us His seal. Brothers and sisters, we have a limited amount on deposit, and there is a limit to the amount we can withdraw. But having the seal of the Lord Jesus is a tremendous matter. If I have a large sum of money in the bank and commit the checkbook and seal to someone, I must be prepared to trust in him fully. If I cannot trust him, I will wonder whether he uses my seal to withdraw money. How do I know that he will not write checks with my seal? How do I know that he will not sign contracts with my seal? If I do not trust in a person, I cannot commit my seal to his hand. If I give him my seal, it means that I acknowledge everything he does. This is what it means to be in the name of the Lord Jesus. It means that the Lord is bold enough to commit His name to our hand, and He is allowing us to use this name. The Lord trusts us to the extent that He dares to commit His name to our hands and allow us to use this name. This is the meaning of being in the name of the Lord Jesus. Being in the name of the Lord means that the Lord Jesus has given Himself to us and that He is willing to acknowledge everything that we do in His name. He is willing to bear all the consequences of us doing things in His name.
Sometimes we tell someone, “Go and tell a certain brother what to do. If he asks you who said it, just tell him that I said it.” This is being in the name of someone. Being in someone’s name is to use that name. If you commit your name to someone and he uses your name, you have to bear the responsibility of his use of your name. This is what it means by being in the name.
The last night the Lord Jesus was on earth, He told the disciples, “Whatever you ask in My name, that I will do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If you ask Me anything in My name, I will do it” (John 14:13-14). This means that the Lord Jesus committed a great thing to the disciples; He gave the disciples His name. His name is authority, and there is nothing that He can give that is greater than this. Suppose that after the Lord Jesus committed His name to our hand, we used it irresponsibly. What would happen? A man who occupies an important position needs only to put his seal to his order, and the order is executed. If he gives his seal to someone, he will have to be responsible every time the seal is used to issue an order. Do you think he can commit his seal to anyone easily? Of course he cannot. But the Lord Jesus has committed His name to us. The Lord’s name is a name that is above every name. He is willing to commit this name to you and me and allow us to use this name. Do we see the responsibility in committing His name to us? God trusts us and commits the Lord Jesus’ name to us. Whatever we do in His name, God will take responsibility for it. Brothers and sisters, what a tremendous thing this is! God will take responsibility for whatever we do in the name of the Lord Jesus!
One characteristic of this age is that the Lord Jesus does not do anything directly. He does not speak directly on earth; rather, He speaks through the church. He does not perform any miracles directly; rather, He performs them through the church. He does not save men directly; rather, He saves them through the church. Today the Lord accomplishes His work through the church rather than directly by Himself. This is why He has committed His name to the church. But what a great responsibility He has to bear. It is easy to take responsibility for what you do directly. All you have to do is be responsible for what you do personally; you do not have to take responsibility for what others do. If your seal is in your hand, you will take responsibility only for what you do yourself. But if your seal is in someone else’s hand, you will have to be responsible for what they do with your seal. If the Lord Jesus was in the world today, working the same way as He did before by doing everything Himself, He would not have to take responsibility for what we do. But today the Lord’s work is not done by Himself alone. He has committed His work to the church. All the works of the Lord Jesus today are in the church. Today the church’s work is the Lord’s work. Hence, He has to take responsibility for everything the church does with His name. In committing a task to someone, we have to find a reliable person. If a person is not reliable, it is hard to commit anything to him. But today the Lord Jesus is obligated to commit Himself to the church. Now is not the time for the Son of God to appear in the flesh. Now is the time when the Son of God appears in the Spirit and in the church. Since this is so, He has to commit Himself to the church. Otherwise, He could not do anything. Today He has ascended to the heavens and is sitting on the right hand of the Father, waiting for the enemy to be His footstool. He is there as the High Priest, and He is praying there. This is His job. As to His work on earth, He has committed it to the church. Therefore, the church has the authority to use His name today. Consequently, the Lord has to take responsibility for the church’s use of His name.
On earth the church has no greater authority than the authority of doing things in the Lord Jesus’ name. The Lord has committed His name to the church. This is the greatest commitment because this name denotes Himself. Whatever you speak in the name of the Lord Jesus becomes what the Lord Himself speaks. Whatever you ask in the name of the Lord Jesus becomes what He asks. Whatever you decide in the name of the Lord Jesus becomes what the Lord decides. The church has the authority to speak in the name of the Lord. What a commitment God has given to the church!
We see in the Bible one example of acting in the name of the Lord. When the archangel Michael argued with the devil over the body of Moses, did he say, “I rebuke you” or “May the Lord rebuke you”? If you add the word may, it becomes a prayer and a wish. No, the archangel said, “The Lord rebuke you”! (Jude 9). This means that for him to rebuke the devil is for the Lord to rebuke him. The archangel Michael applied the Lord’s name. Hence, being in the name of the Lord Jesus does not necessarily mean saying the words “in the name of the Lord Jesus.” Doing things in the name of the Lord Jesus means that we use His name as we use our own name. Here we touch a very important spiritual principle: we can use the Lord’s name as we use our own name. Many people say that they have not exhausted the power in the Lord’s blood. I would say rather that we have not exhausted the power in His name. Paul could say to the Corinthians, “I have no commandment of the Lord, but I give my opinion.” Further on, he said, “I think that I also have the Spirit of God” (1 Cor. 7:25, 40). We have to see that this name is a name that we can use. Brothers and sisters, do you realize that here is a name, an authority, and a power that have been placed in the hand of the church? The church can use them. The church should use the Lord’s name in a proper way. We say that the church reigns. But without the name, there would be no way that the church could reign. We say that the church holds the key to the kingdom and is responsible for bringing in the kingdom. But without the name, the gate of the kingdom could not be opened. We say that God’s intention is for the church to bind up death through life and bind up Satan. Yet if we did not have this name or did not know how to use this name, there would be no way for us to accomplish these things. We have to see that the Lord Jesus has given this name to the church.
This is why God charges that a man must be baptized after he has believed in the Lord and is saved. What is baptism? It is coming into the Lord’s name. On the day I was baptized, I began to share this name. From that day on, God committed this name to me. I can use the Lord Jesus’ name as I use my own name. This is why baptism is such a great matter. According to the spiritual reality, I am a dead man and I am also a resurrected man. Since I am standing on the ground of death and resurrection, I can use the Lord’s name. From that day, I became related to His name. He is Christ, and we are the Christians. What is a Christian? What is the church? The church is just a group of people on earth who can use the Lord’s name, and God takes responsibility for their action every time they use that name. In whatever way we use this name, God will take responsibility for it. This is a tremendous thing. Our relationship with the Lord’s name began at the time of baptism. We are baptized into the name. In other words, through baptism we enter into the name.
Here we see that the cross and resurrection are two indispensable things. Only by standing on the ground of baptism can we use the Lord’s name. If we are not standing on the ground of baptism, we cannot use His name, because the cross will not have a free way in us, and the Lord Jesus will not have any effect on us; we cannot use the name. Even if we use the name, God will not take responsibility for it. We must stand on the ground of baptism. The ground of baptism means that we believe in the fact of the cross and believe that the old man is crucified with Christ; we accept the principle of the cross and receive the cross as something that deals with our natural life. Baptism tells us that everything we have must go through death daily. Only that which remains after passing through death has spiritual significance. If something is gone after it passes through death, it will not stand before God. God wants the things that pass through the cross and remain, the things that are not destroyed after death has done its work.
God’s children need to see the fact of the cross. We need God to reveal what we have received in Christ. The day must come when the Lord breaks the backbone of our natural life. Only then will we become useful. The day must come when God sees the mark of the cross in us. In many people, it does not seem as if the cross has done any work. It does not seem as if the cross has done any work in their speech, in the way they work, in their feeling, and particularly in their attitude before God. The day must come when God breaks and destroys such a person by the cross. Only that which remains after the cross is resurrection. Resurrection is that which is not terminated through death; it is that which is not annihilated through death. Resurrection is what remains after a person is smitten by the Lord. Only those who stand on such a ground can exercise the Lord’s authority, and only they can use the Lord’s name. God assumes responsibility for those who stand on this ground, and He is behind them when they use the Lord’s name. Brothers and sisters, this is the greatest commitment in the whole world. God can commit His Son’s name to us and allow us to use this name as our own. This is too great a matter. God has to assume tremendous responsibility in this matter. This is, indeed, not a small matter.
When we do things in the Lord’s name, what result will this name bring? The Bible shows us that there are three results of acting in the Lord’s name. The first relates to man, the second to the devil, and the third to God.
Luke 24:47 says, “And that repentance for forgiveness of sins would be proclaimed in His name to all the nations, beginning from Jerusalem.” Acts 10:43 says, “To this One all the prophets testify that through His name everyone who believes into Him will receive forgiveness of sins.” First Corinthians 6:11 says, “And these things were some of you; but you were washed, but you were sanctified, but you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and in the Spirit of our God.” The clearest passage concerning this matter is in Acts 3:2-6, “And a certain man who had been lame from his mother’s womb was being carried there, whom they had laid day by day at the door of the temple which is called Beautiful to ask alms from those entering into the temple. And he, seeing Peter and John about to go into the temple, began to ask to receive alms. And Peter, gazing at him with John, said, Look at us! And he turned his attention to them, expecting to receive something from them. But Peter said, Silver and gold I do not possess, but what I have, this I give to you: In the name of Jesus Christ the Nazarene rise up and walk.” Brothers and sisters, do you know what it is to speak to others in the name of Jesus Christ the Nazarene? If you were not standing on the ground of death, resurrection, and baptism, what would you do? You would probably kneel down and pray, “Lord, I do not know if this lame man should be healed. Show us if this lame man should be healed. If he should be healed, please make us clear, and please give us the boldness. If he should not be healed, we will just let the matter go.” This was not the apostles’ experience. The apostles did not feel that the Lord’s name remained with the Lord and that they had to ask for permission to do anything. The apostles realized that the name of Jesus the Nazarene was theirs; they owned it, and they could use it.
What is the church? The church is a group of people on earth who maintain the Lord’s name. God has called men out of the nations into His name. This is the church. The church maintains the Lord’s name on earth. This is why the church can use the Lord’s name and apply it to people. We can say to others, “Rise up and be baptized and wash away your sins, calling on His name” (Acts 22:16). When the Lord Jesus was on earth, He said to a woman, “Daughter, your faith has healed you. Go in peace” (Luke 8:48). Another time He told a paralytic, “Take courage, child; your sins are forgiven” (Matt. 9:2). Brothers and sisters, if we are standing on the ground of baptism and we have the vision and revelation, we will realize that we are in charge of the Lord’s name. When we preach the gospel to someone and they receive it, to some extent we can say, “Brother, go home. The Lord Jesus has forgiven you.” We do not have to wait for him to say anything; we can pronounce him saved.
Because of the healing of the lame man, the rulers, elders, and scribes called the apostles to their midst and asked, “By what power or in what name did you do this?” (Acts 4:7). At that time, Peter was filled with the Holy Spirit, and he said to them, “Let it be known to you all and to all the people of Israel that in the name of Jesus Christ the Nazarene, whom you crucified and whom God has raised from the dead, in this name this man stands before you in good health.” After he said this, he declared, “And there is salvation in no other, for neither is there another name under heaven given among men in which we must be saved” (Acts 4:10, 12). Only this name, this unique name, can save us. We can use this name and apply it to men.
We can apply this name not only to man but also to the devil. Mark 16:17 says, “In My name they will cast out demons.” How do we cast out demons in His name? Acts 16 records Paul meeting a slave girl possessed by a spirit. For many days, she bothered Paul. The Bible says, “Paul was greatly disturbed.” He was disturbed by her. What did he do? He did not pray, and he did not do many other things. He just turned around and said to the spirit, “I charge you in the name of Jesus Christ to come out of her” (v. 18). Just one word of command and the spirit departed from her. The name of the Lord Jesus was committed to Paul, and he used this name. We have to realize that when the Lord’s name is committed to us, it is no longer kept in heaven. If our spiritual condition is normal, His name will be in our hand. When Paul was disturbed, he charged the spirit to come out. He did not pray to the Lord. We may think that he was not spiritual, that he acted independently, and that he had not sought God’s will. But when Paul rebuked the spirit, the spirit left. The real issue is whether or not we are living before God and whether we are standing on the proper ground. If we are standing on the right ground, we will see that the Lord’s name is in our hand. Being in the Lord’s name is not an empty word. The Lord’s name is a name that we can use. We can use this name to work and to cast out demons.
In Luke 10 the Lord sent the disciples out. The Lord had not yet ascended, but He was acting from the position of ascension. Hence, He said, “I was watching Satan fall like lightning out of heaven” (v. 18). When the disciples went out, the Lord Jesus did not go with them. Yet they took the Lord’s name with them. Later the disciples came back and reported to the Lord, “Even the demons are subject to us in Your name” (v. 17). Why were they subject to the disciples? It is because the disciples did it “…in Your name.” They held the Lord’s name in their hands, and authority was in their hands. Therefore, the Lord Jesus said, “I have given you the authority to tread upon serpents and scorpions and over all the power of the enemy” (v. 19). Brothers and sisters, have we seen this? With the Lord’s name, we can deal with all the power of the enemy. God has to open our eyes to see that He has given us the name of the Lord Jesus. This is God’s commitment to us.
Moreover, the Lord’s name has been given to us not only to deal with men, to save men, to heal men, to have authority over the demons, and to cast them out of men. Even more precious is the fact that the Lord’s name enables us to go to the Father and speak to Him. When we go to the Father in this way, He has to answer us. John 14—16 speaks of the Lord’s name three times. We have to say with reverence that the Lord Jesus was very bold! What did He say? “And whatever you ask in My name, that I will do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If you ask Me anything in My name, I will do it” (14:13-14). Oh, this name is above all other names! This name is the name every tongue in heaven, on earth, and under the earth should openly confess as Lord. It is the name to which every knee should bow! This name is powerful before God; God honors this name. When we do things in this name, God honors it. The Lord said, “You did not choose Me, but I chose you, and I set you that you should go forth and bear fruit and that your fruit should remain, that whatever you ask the Father in My name, He may give you” (15:16). Again He said, “And in that day you will ask Me nothing. Truly, truly, I say to you, Whatever you ask the Father in My name, He will give to you. Until now you have asked for nothing in My name; ask and you shall receive, that your joy may be made full” (16:23-24). Brothers and sisters, can we think of another promise greater than this?
What then is praying in the name of the Lord Jesus? Praying in the name of the Lord Jesus is saying to God, “I am not trustworthy. I am useless. But I am praying in the name of Jesus.” Suppose you send a letter to a friend through a messenger, asking your friend to return a sum of money through the same messenger. When your friend sees the signature, he should give the money to the messenger. Is this not right? Will your friend ask the messenger, “Are you educated? What is your family background? Who is in your family? How is your temper?” He will surely not ask these questions. He is not concerned with who the messenger is. He only needs to make sure that the letter has your signature. The messenger has come in your name, and you have put your trust in this messenger. Hallelujah! To stand before God in the name of the Lord Jesus is to say that you do not stand on your own merit but on the merit of the Lord’s name. It is to say that you are not counting on what you are or what you will be, but on what the name of the Lord is. Many people pray with the hope that they will be answered in the future. Some pray with the hope that they will be answered in a few months or a few years. They hope in this way because they expect to become better in a few years. Because they expect to become better, they expect that their prayer will be answered. But we have to realize that our prayer is answered because of His name and not because of our name. We have to completely deny our flesh, and we need to be in the name of the Lord Jesus. All the ground we have is gained through Him. We stand before God because of Him and not because of ourselves. It is not because of our righteousness but because of His blood; it is not based on what we want but on what He wants. We are here in the name of the Lord.
Brothers and sisters, the knowledge of the name of the Lord Jesus is a revelation and not a doctrine. The day will come when God opens our eyes to see the power in this name, the greatness in this name, and what a wonder it is that God has committed this name to us. Because God has committed His Son’s name to us, we can say, “God, we do this in the name of Your Son Jesus.” This means, “God, You believe in us. You trust in us. You take responsibility for everything that we do.” Brothers and sisters, since this name is placed in our hands for the purpose of dealing with men, the devil, and God, we should realize that we must live a certain kind of life before we can have the power to use this name. Therefore, we must learn to know the cross every day. Only then can we apply this name. Brothers and sisters, please remember that the cross cannot be separated from this name. May the cross work deeply in us to the extent that we know how to apply this name to men, how to use this name to deal with the devil, and how to pray to the Father through this name. May the Lord give the church abundant knowledge concerning this name so that the position, authority, and power of this name is recovered among us today and the church will receive many spiritual riches through His name.
