“Jesus… the sweetest name I know”

Philippians 2:10-11 that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those in heaven, and of those on earth, and of those under the earth, and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. (NKJV)

“Jesus… the sweetest name I know”… but not if you have rejected it. It is heartbreaking to witness people abuse and profane the only name under heaven that represents salvation and rescue from the unhappiness and discontentment that engulfs a heart separated from God. How often I have wished I could spiritually smack someone and open their eyes to the truth; just grab them by the shoulders and shake some sense into them or scream at them “WAKE UP!!! Don’t you get it???” Not exactly the “Biblical” method.

It would be nice if we could just “slap” someone awake spiritually;
But… it doesn’t work that way, does it?

Jesus is either the sweetest name (for those who give their lives to Him), or He is the most condemning and guilt-producing name (for those who will not exchange their pride and “self” control for His forgivenness).

Think about it: pride, guilt and eternal condemnation can be traded in for Christ’s salvation, love, care and peace. And yet millions upon millions upon millions reject His offer. In some ways, it is truly hard to comprehend, and yet perfectly understandable in others after discovering what Scripture reveals about the human heart (ex. Jer 17.9). The more we understand and believe what the Name of Jesus represents, the more we should be saddened and burdened for those who DON’T know the Name Above All Names.

So far we’ve learned that the Name of Jesus Christ is:

The Rarest and Most Exclusive – there is salvation through Jesus and NO other (Acts 4.12); every person will admit this fact some day, the only question is when (Phil 2.10)

The Most Understanding & Compassionate - Jesus is the caring Shepherd and He protects and cares for His sheep (Isa 40.11); Jesus is uniquely qualified to understand and respond to our deepest needs and hurts because He is both absolutely Divine, and absolutely human (Heb 4.15-16)

The Most Meaninful and Purposeful - the name of Jesus is filled with infinite meaning and purpose; why He lived; why He died; why He teached; why He loves us; what He accomplished… it is an inexhaustible well of study and discovery.
The Most Rewarding – trusting in the name of Jesus results in the greatest rewards available to humankind. We get to live eternally in His presence (Phil 1.23; Rev 22.5); we receive an incorruptible crown of glory (1Pet5.4); we become a member of God’s family and co-heir with Christ (Rom 8.17); we get a home built just for us (John 14.1-4;2Cor 5.1); and we get to live in the “fullness of joy” for all eternity (Psalms 16.11)…. just to name a few “rewards”.

The Most Powerful Name I Know

It is truly mind boggling what was, is, and will be accomplished through and by Jesus Christ. It’s almost embarrassing to attempt to summarize these great truths in a daily devotional format. You could spend your entire life studying the “power” of Jesus’ Name (its effect and achievements) and surely not exhaust the subject. I think it is safe to say, that the more you learn about Jesus, the more you realize how much you do NOT know, and how much MORE there is to discover.

The “power” of Jesus name is a pretty broad categorization. Here are a few points about what Christ accomplished, and what effect His Name has on our existence (emphasis mine in the Bible verses; Note: I pray my Calvinist friends will take this for the basic study that it is and not read into it anything more than what I simply state):

The Name of Jesus is the power of salvation for all who believe

1 Timothy 1:15 This is a faithful saying and worthy of all acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am chief. (NKJV)

Christ came to save sinners. Who is included in that category? All people that are sinners; in other words, all people. The Name of Jesus is powerful enough to secure salvation for all who believe (Rom 10.13).

John 3:15 that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life. (NKJV)

It is mind boggling that the single, individual sacrifice of the Man, Christ Jesus, is sufficient for the salvation (Rom 5.12-21) of billions upon billions of vile sinners. Granted, comparitively few will be saved (Luke 13.24), but it’s not because of any lack of power on the part of Jesus.
The Name of Jesus is powerful enough to deliver us from evil

Galatians 1:3-4 Grace to you and peace from God the Father and our Lord Jesus Christ, who gave Himself for our sins, that He might deliver us from this present evil age, according to the will of our God and Father, (NKJV)

1 Corinthians 10:13 No temptation has overtaken you except such as is common to man; but God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will also make the way of escape, that you may be able to bear it. (NKJV)

Without Jesus, we are slaves to sin (Rom 6.20); with Jesus, we have the power available to us to be righteous, to overcome temptation and to be delivered from “this present evil age”. There is no other name, no other organization, no other religion and no other resource in all the universe that has the same power… only Christ.
Jesus represents the “way of escape” or rescue both from eternal evil (deserved condemnation for our sin) and from present evil (sin and temptation).
The Name of Christ has the power to free every Believer from the fear of Satan and death

Hebrews 2:14-15 Inasmuch then as the children have partaken of flesh and blood, He Himself likewise shared in the same, that through death He might destroy him who had the power of death, that is, the devil, and release those who through fear of death were all their lifetime subject to bondage. (NKJV)

Before Christ, death and fear reigned. We were in bondage to the unknown of death. But Christ, having experienced death and conquered it, has removed all fear concerning this life and the next; and Jesus now maintains control of death and hell; He even holds the entire universe together through His power (Col 1.17). We never have to fear anything about death or hell EVER AGAIN! One of the most magnficent verses in all of Scripture:

I am He who lives, and was dead, and behold,
I am alive forevermore. Amen.
And I have the keys of Hades and of Death.
(Revelation 1:18 – NKJV)

If that doesn’t send shivers down your back, I’m not sure what will!

The Name of Jesus has the power to secure the resurrection of all those who belong to Him

John 6:39 This is the will of the Father who sent Me, that of all He has given Me I should lose nothing, but should raise it up at the last day. (NKJV)

Romans 6:5 For if we have been united together in the likeness of His death, certainly we also shall be in the likeness of His resurrection, (NKJV)

Romans 8:11 But if the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, He who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through His Spirit who dwells in you. (NKJV)

2 Timothy 2:11 This is a faithful saying: For if we died with Him, We shall also live with Him. (NKJV)

Wow. Think of the security, the promise and the hope contained in these verses. Jesus will lose NONE that the Father has given (speaking of Believers), to be raised up at the “last day”.

When we are saved, we are united with Christ in the “likeness of His death” (dying to ourselves, Rom 6.6; taking up our cross, Luke 9.23; baptism, Col 2.12); in other words, we share and identify with Christ in “death”…. and in the same way we will “certainly” share in His resurrection as well! It is a “faithful saying” (true, dependable, sure):

For if we died with Him, We shall also live with Him.

The Name of Jesus has the power to bring good from evil

Romans 8:27-28 Now He who searches the hearts knows what the mind of the Spirit is, because He makes intercession for the saints according to the will of God. And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose. (NKJV)

Genesis 50:19-20 Joseph said to them, “Do not be afraid, for am I in the place of God? But as for you, you meant evil against me; but God meant it for good, in order to bring it about as it is this day, to save many people alive. (NKJV)

The Bible is filled with stories and principles showing that our sovreign and omniscient God is greater than the curse of sin, and is able to take that which is “meant for evil” and use it to bring about His will and display His power and glory.

Of course the greatest example of this fact, is the crucifixion of Christ. The most evil act in all of the history of man brought about the greatest implementation of God’s Will:

Acts 2:23 Him, being delivered by the determined purpose and foreknowledge of God, you have taken by lawless hands, have crucified, and put to death; (NKJV)

Through the ultimate wicked act, killing the Son of God, came the ultimate fulfillment of God’s master plan to redeem His creation! If God can turn that unfathomable evil into “good”, how much more should we trust him to use the evil that befalls us for His glory and purpose?

That is a mere nibble of what could be written about the “power of Jesus Name”. Even just a taste though gives us an incredible depth to consider.

As with any “power”, it cannot be experienced unless you are plugged into the source. For those who have not repentend of their sins, and given their lives to Jesus Christ, there is NO power in His Name (for them). If you are “plugged in” (saved), then you may not being experiencing the fullness of Christ’s power due to sin, disobedience or neglect. Maybe you are short-circuiting the “power source” with worldliness and lukewarmness.

Our lack of accessing the power does not change, or diminish the true nature or depth of the “Power”. An evaluation of Christ’s power in our life serves to give us a measurement, or evidence, about the current state of our devotion, commitment and knowledge of the Most Powerful Name we can know. Is the power of Christ demonstrable in your life? Or is it merely a concept?

Great God , We offer thanks and praise for the power of Jesus Christ to save souls, dispel evil and turn wickedness into good. Help us to see where His power is missing, or lacking in our lives. In the Sweetest Name, Amen.

Contemplation: Is there power in Jesus name for you? Do you believe it? Do you access it? Do you know how? If someone were to view your schedule and checkbook, where would they guess that your source of power lies?

Application: How little we understand, believe and access the power of Christianity. It has become so distorted today with the “God-is-a-genie” trend, that true spiritual power is rare. Even after writing on this for the last 5 days, I feel like I have done nothing more than give a childish, elementary glance at a topic I don’t even yet begin to grasp. How are you doing?

James 1:22 – But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves. (NKJV)

What is the most obvious Bible truth you have learned today? What change in your life needs to be made concerning this truth?
What specific thing will you do today to begin that change?


http://www.brentriggsblog.com/2009/08/jesus-the-most-powerful-name-i-know-part-5/