A.We often hear the phrase “in the name of the Lord,” but do we ever pause to appreciate its meaning?
B.Let us do so now, for this phrase has bearing upon every part of the life of a Christian.
II.WHAT DOES “IN THE NAME OF THE LORD” MEAN?
A.The saying “in the name of the Lord” is not merely a phrase that we say as a matter of habit at the close of our prayers.
1.For every prayer that we offer to God, we qualify all that we speak by saying “in the name of the Lord,” “in Jesus’ name,” or some other similar phrase.
2.Let us be careful how we say this.May we never thoughtlessly invoke the name of Jesus, but rather let us always take to heart the true meaning of our words when we call on His name.
B.When we do or say something “in the name of the Lord,” we make a powerful claim of compliance with the sovereign will and purpose of the Lord Jesus Christ.
1.The simplest explanation of the phrase “in the name of the Lord” is that it means “by the Lord’s authority.”
a.We understand that when a police officer commands us to obey him in the name of the law, he is acting by the higher authority of the government that employs him.
b.By comparison, when a person speaks or acts in the name of the Lord, he does so by the authority of the Lord who has empowered him to do so.
2.There are two applications of this principle.
a.One application is that when we claim to other people that what we do or say is in the name of the Lord, we are claiming that we are acting according to the Lord’s expressed will, i.e., His authority.
b.The other application is that when we offer our prayers to God in the name of the Lord, we are expressing our willingness to Him to accept His answers to our prayers according to His will and purpose.In this way, it is similar to saying, “Thy will be done” (Matt. 6:10; 26:39, 42).
C.Merely saying that something is in the Lord’s name does not make it so, but instead we must strive to know what is truly in His name.
1.Some have the false notion that Christ has authorized them to do anything they desire as long as they invoke His name.
a.Such persons essentially suggest that God must obey them, for they believe that Christ authorizes them to demand anything of Him and expect to receive it (Kenneth Copeland’s “Word-Faith” doctrine, for example).
b.Jesus showed that this is not the case, for He said that there will be some who claim to have acted in His name who will not even enter the kingdom of heaven (Matt. 7:21-23).
2.This false notion comes from misapplications of Scriptures such as John 14:13-14.
a.In these verses, Jesus said, “And whatever you ask in My name, that will I do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son.If you ask Me anything in My name, I will do it.”
b.The temptation is to interpret these verses as Christ’s authority to ask for anything we want, but that is not the meaning.
i.The true meaning is that if anything is in His name (by His authority, according to His purpose), then He will always give it to us when we ask for it.This was said directly to the apostles, but it applies to us also.
ii.This is exactly the same message written by John in 1John 5:14-15.
c.Jesus did not authorize us to make demands of God, but rather He commanded us to beg for His favor.
i.The word “ask” in John 14:13-14 is translated from a word that indicates begging.The one who makes a request to God in the name of Jesus does so as a beggar.
ii.Contrast this to the word “ask” (or “pray” – ASV) in John 14:16, which is translated from a word that indicates making a request from one’s equal.When Christ made a request of the Father, He did not come like a beggar as we do.
3.Consider the example of the apostle Paul, who certainly offered his prayers in the name of the Lord, but his requests were denied (2Cor. 12:7-10).
a.Paul entreated the Lord three times that his “thorn in the flesh” would depart from him.Jesus denied His requests, saying, “My grace is sufficient for you, for power is perfected in weakness.”
b.Paul gladly accepted this answer, for his prayer was truly offered in the name of the Lord.It was not suitable to the Lord’s purpose for Paul’s thorn to be removed, and Paul wanted foremost to comply with the Lord’s purposes.
c.Therefore, we see that our desires do not always conform to God’s desires, so we must submit to His will and ask our petitions always in the name of the Lord.With that we must also accept the answers to our prayers that are in His name.
4.Therefore, it is our responsibility to learn the will of God according to His word, and then we must work to act and speak according to His will and thus in the name of the Lord.
III.WHAT SHALL WE DO IN THE NAME OF THE LORD?
A.Certainly, we must obey the gospel to obtain salvation in the name of the Lord.
1.When Jesus gave the Great Commission, He commanded the apostles to baptize men in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit (Matt. 28:18-20).
2.In the book of Acts, we see that this is just what they did as they went about teaching and baptizing in the name of the Lord (Acts 2:38; 4:12; 9:28).
B.We already recognized that prayers are to be offered in the name of the Lord.
1.As we saw above, John 14:13-14 and 1John 5:14-15 direct us to make petitions to the Father in the name of the Lord.
2.Therefore, we are always careful to state that our prayers are given in the name of the Lord, for we appreciate the need for us to connect our communication with the Father to our relationship with Christ.
a.Christ is our High Priest, and He intercedes with the Father on our behalf.See Hebrews 4:14-16; 7:25.
b.Apart from Christ, we would not be able to approach God or address Him as Father.
C.Moreover, God’s word also instructs Christians to do all things in the name of the Lord.
1.Colossians 3:17 says, “And whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks through Him to God the Father.”
a.This command is all-encompassing and leaves no place for Christians to serve another master.The will of the Lord is to have jurisdiction over every part of a Christian’s life.
b.This verse is stated in connection with an admonition to “let the word of Christ dwell within you” (Col. 3:16).
i.Acting and speaking in the name of the Lord requires knowledge of the word of Christ.His word dwells in us when it affects the way we live.
ii.Of course, the Bible does not give direct commands for every action we may take or every word we may say.Rather, it gives commands, doctrines, principles, examples, and patterns by which we may learn the will of Christ in all things.
2.Therefore, we must respect and submit to the Lord’s will in all things.
a.Even the mundane things of life must be done in the name of the Lord, for they are governed by His word.
b.Every word that we speak must be in compliance with the Lords will, meaning that they must be truthful, careful, pure, edifying, and loving.See Matthew 12:36-37; Ephesians 4:15, 29; 5:4.
IV.CONCLUSION
A.The Lord’s name is a powerful symbol, for it represents Him and His authority, which is over all of heaven and the earth (Matt. 28:18).
B.Therefore, let us invoke His name with great reverence and understanding for what His will is, and let us strive to do His will in all things, that is, to do all in the name of the Lord.
