The Power of His Name

This week, a simple truth of our faith has been on my heart. As believers, we sing about the power of Jesus’ name and likely end our prayers with a quick “in Jesus’ name, amen.” However, Jesus’ name is so much more than the sign-off at the end of prayers. Do we really understand the power of His name?

Philippians 2:9-11 says,

“Therefore, God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.”

Jesus Himself said,

“Truly, truly, I say to you, whatever you ask of the Father in my name, he will give it to you. Until now you have asked nothing in my name. Ask, and you will receive, that your joy may be full” (John 16:23).

Jesus’ death and resurrection changed the way we come to the Father. God’s heart for humanity has never changed, but the way we come to Him was radically transformed by what Jesus did for us. In Him, we come to the Father not by our own merit, but by that which Jesus purchased for us. Even before He was crucified, His name carried power.

Luke 12 tells of the first time Jesus sent out His disciples in His name. Seventy-two of them went before Him with the commission to heal the sick and declare the Kingdom of God. Luke 10:17- 22 tells us what happened when they returned:

“The seventy-two returned with joy, saying, “Lord, even the demons are subject to us in your name!” And he said to them, “I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven. Behold, I have given you authority to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy, and nothing shall hurt you. Nevertheless, do not rejoice in this, that the spirits are subject to you, but rejoice that your names are written in heaven.”

Now, this was before Jesus was glorified and before the disciples were baptized in the power of the Holy Spirit on the Day of Pentecost. How much greater capacity does the Spirit-filled church of Jesus Christ have?

However, even then, Jesus reminded them to focus not on the power He gave them. He brought their focus back to His heart and purpose, reminding them told them to rejoice instead that their names are written in heaven. The purpose of the power was to bring in the harvest. He didn’t send them out to battle darkness, but to declare His victory and bring home sons and daughters.

When we pray in Jesus’ name, it’s not a verbal token. It’s easy to get into the habit of doing something and forget why we do it. See, Jesus’ name is a key, a gift given to the church, but it isn’t just a tool to be used. There’s a story in the book of Acts about a group of men who, amazed at the power the disciples had, decided to imitate them. Acts 19:11-16 says,

“God was doing extraordinary miracles by the hands of Paul, so that even handkerchiefs or aprons that had touched his skin were carried away to the sick, and their diseases left them, and the evil spirits came out of them. Then some of the itinerant Jewish exorcists undertook to invoke the name of the Lord Jesus over those who had evil spirits, saying, “I adjure you by the Jesus whom Paul proclaims.” Seven sons of a Jewish high priest named Sceva were doing this. But the evil spirit answered them, “Jesus I know, and Paul I recognize, but who are you?” And the man in whom was the evil spirit leaped on them, mastered all of them and overpowered them, so that they fled out of that house naked and wounded.’

Jesus’ name had no power on their lips because they didn’t know Him. The evil spirits didn’t recognize them because He didn’t know them. Think about this in light of Jesus saying, “Rejoice that your names are written in heaven.” When our names are written in heaven, even hell knows we belong to Him! When we belong to Him, we have absolutely nothing to fear. There is no enemy Jesus hasn’t overcome. If the gates of hell didn’t prevail against Him, they can’t prevail against us! Jesus was crucified only because He chose to lay His life down willingly. When the guards came to take Him to trial, He went with them, while demonstrating that it was by His own choice. John 18:3-6 says,

“So, Judas, having procured a band of soldiers and some officers from the chief priests and the Pharisees, went there with lanterns and torches and weapons. Then Jesus, knowing all that would happen to him, came forward and said to them, “Whom do you seek?” They answered him, “Jesus of Nazareth.” Jesus said to them, “I am he.” Judas, who betrayed him, was standing with them. When Jesus said to them, “I am he,” they drew back and fell to the ground.”

There was so much power in His own declaration that He was Jesus that the guards fell to the ground. His children carry that same power when we declare His name. Peter explained this truth powerfully when the people marveled at the miracle of the crippled man at the Gate Beautiful. Acts 3:12-16 says,

“Men of Israel, why do you wonder at this, or why do you stare at us, as though by our own power or piety we have made him walk? The God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, the God of our fathers, glorified his servant Jesus, whom you delivered over and denied in the presence of Pilate, when he had decided to release him. But you denied the Holy and Righteous One and asked for a murderer to be granted to you, and you killed the Author of life, whom God raised from the dead. To this we are witnesses. And his name—by faith in his name—has made this man strong whom you see and know, and the faith that is through Jesus has given the man this perfect health in the presence of you all.”

Jesus is as real and alive today as He was when He walked the earth and by the grace of God, He comes and makes His home in our hearts. In His name, and only in His name, will we grow in grace to walk as He walked. There is no name given among men greater than the name of Jesus and when we pray in His name, we understand that we live, because He lives. We overcome because He overcame. We are healed because He bore our sicknesses. We are free because He broke our chains. We are victorious because He gave His life, so we could live in the power of His name.