JESUS, THE NAME ABOVE ALL NAMES

BY  PASTOR T. O. BANSO

“Therefore God also has highly exalted Him and given Him the name which is above every name,   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” (Philippians 2:9-11 NKJV).

In Luke 10:1, Jesus Christ chose seventy-two disciples and sent them ahead in pairs to all the towns and villages He planned to visit. And in verse 17, they returned with joy, saying, “Lord, even the demons are subject to us in Your name” (NKJV). Take note of that phrase: in Your name.

The Greek word translated name is onoma. It means authority or character. There was authority in the name of Jesus, which made the demons submit to His disciples. They commanded the demons to come out in the name of Jesus and they came out. Without Him, they wouldn’t have been able to do anything (John 15:5b).

Jesus wasn’t surprised about their report. He reacted this way: “I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven.  Behold, I give you the authority to trample on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy, and nothing shall by any means hurt you.  Nevertheless do not rejoice in this, that the spirits are subject to you, but rather rejoice because your names are written in heaven” (Luke 10:18-20 NKJV).  He gave them authority; He gave them His name.

Your salvation is more important than the submission of demons to you. Jesus says in Matthew 7:22-23 that many will say to Him in that day that they prophesied, cast out demons, and did many wonders in His name. But He will declare to them that He never knew them and they should depart from Him, for them they practised lawlessness. They got so carried away by the signs and wonders in His name that they did not attend to their relationship with Him.

The name of Jesus is not an ordinary name. There is authority and power in His name. His name would do what Jesus would do if He were on earth physically. When His name is called in faith, His presence is invoked. In Acts 19:13-16, some itinerant Jews who pretended to be able to expel demons by incantations or charms tried to use the name to cast out evil spirits.

The seven sons of Sceva, a Jewish chief priest, were among them. They said, “We exorcise you by the Jesus whom Paul preaches” (verse 13 NKJV). . But the evil spirit answered, “Jesus I know, and Paul I know; but who are you?” (Verse 14 NKJV). The man in whom the evil spirit was leaped on them and attacked them with such violence that they fled from the house naked and badly injured. Their action boomeranged. They did not believe in the name of Jesus but wanted to use it as if it is a charm.

However, in Mark 9, one of the disciples of Jesus, John, told Jesus that they saw someone, who did not follow them, casting out demons in His name and they forbade him (verse 38). Did you see that? The person was not among those following Jesus but he was using His name and getting results.  He was doing his own independent ministry, using the name of Jesus while Jesus was alive. He believed in His name.

In My name

The disciples must have thought that Jesus would support them. “But Jesus said, ‘Do not forbid him, for no one who works a miracle in My name can soon afterward speak evil of Me.  For he who is not against us is on our side.  For whoever gives you a cup of water to drink in My name, because you belong to Christ, assuredly, I say to you, he will by no means lose his reward’” (verse 39-41NKJV).  “In My name” occurs twice in this verse.

Jesus spoke about His name during His earthly ministry and what His name would do. He said in John 14:13-14, “And whatever you ask in My name, that I will do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son.  If you ask anything in My name, I will do it” (NKJV). Did you see “in My name” used again twice in his scripture?  The prayer that will receive an answer from heaven must be made in the name of Jesus.

There is power is in the name of Jesus. Jesus told His disciples about God giving them what they “ask the Father in My name” (John 15:16 NKJV).  Furthermore, in John 16:23-24, Jesus told His disciples, “And in that day you will ask Me nothing. Most assuredly, I say to you, whatever you ask the Father in My name He will give you.  Until now you have asked nothing in My name. Ask, and you will receive, that your joy may be full” (NKJV). Again,  “in My name” is used twice in this verse.

The name of Jesus is above all names

Jesus gave His name to His disciples so that anytime they called His name, His presence and power would be available! He said, “In that day you will ask in My name, and I do not say to you that I shall pray the Father for you” (John 16:26  NKJV). The day that He spoke about has since begun. That’s why we make requests to God in His name.

The name of Jesus is incomparable. That is why it produces results when it is used in faith. Philippians 2:9-11 says, “Therefore God also has highly exalted Him and given Him the name which is above every name, 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). Before Jesus’ ascension to heaven, demons submitted in His name. As a man, He humbled himself, and became obedient to the death of the cross (Philippians 2:8).  After His ascension, God highly exalted Him and gave Him the name which is above every name. His name is supreme. Jesus went from humiliation to exaltation. Every being in heaven, on earth, and under the earth should worship Him (Isaiah 45:23; Romans 14:11).  

Ephesians 1:20b-21 says God raised Him from the dead and seated Him at His right hand in the heavenly places, far above all principality and power and might and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this age but also in that which is to come. The name of Jesus is above all names. Whatever has a name is inferior to the name of Jesus. It must bow. Whether it is the name of Satan, a demon, a sickness, or any negative situation, it must submit to the name of Jesus. His name would do what He would do if He were physically on earth. His name is powerful.

Satan hates the name of Jesus because it reminds Him of how Jesus defeated him and his angels. “Having disarmed principalities and powers, He made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them in it” (Colossians 2:15 NKJV).

What to know about the name of Jesus

1. Honour His name. In the Lord’s Prayer, Jesus taught His disciples to pray, “Our Father in heaven, hallowed be Your name” (Matthew 6:9; Luke 11:2 NKJV). To hallow His name means to honour His name. Jesus says He and His Father are one (John 10:30). Honour the name of Jesus. Don’t call His name in vain (Exodus 20:7). In other words, don’t misuse His name. Don’t use it for an evil purpose, thoughtlessly, lightly, or frivolously in false affirmations or profanely. Honour His name (Malachi 2:2).

2. Salvation/eternal life is in His name. There is no salvation in any other name. Romans 10:9 says if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. Whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved (verse 13).

As many as received Jesus, to them He gave the right to become children of God – to those who believe in His name (John 1:11). If you believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, you have life in His name (John 20:31). If you’re not born again, give your life to Jesus now.

3. Preach in the name of Jesus. The healing of the lame at the Beautiful Gate is the first recorded miracle by the apostles after Jesus ascended to heaven. Trying to stop the spreading of His name, the Jewish Council warned Peter and John not to speak at all or teach in the name of Jesus (Acts 4:8). But they refused (verses 19-20).  They further threatened them and released them.

A similar thing happened in Acts 5. The Jewish Council beat the apostles and commanded that they should not speak in the name of Jesus and let them go (verse 40). But they did not cease teaching and preaching Jesus as the Christ (verse 42).

Don’t let anyone or anything silence you from preaching, teaching, or speaking in the name of Jesus. His name is above all names. In Samaria, Philip preached the things concerning the kingdom of God and the name of Jesus Christ (Acts 8:13). In Acts 9:27, Barnabas testified that Paul, after his conversion, preached boldly at Damascus in the name of Jesus.

Preach in the name of Jesus. Power is not in your eloquence; it is in His name. Repentance and remission of sins should be preached in His name (Luke 24:47). 

4. Those who believe are baptized in His name. Before Jesus ascended to heaven, he said all authority had been given to Him in heaven and on earth and He delegated the authority to His disciples to, among other things, baptize in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit (Matthew 28:18-19).

In his sermon on the Day of Pentecost, Peter told the crowd to repent and be baptized “in the name of Jesus Christ” for the remission of sins (Acts 2:38). This means to be baptized under the authority of Jesus. In the house of Cornelius, Peter commanded that those who had received the Holy Spirit should be baptized “in the name of the Lord” (Acts 10:48). In Acts 19:5-7, Paul baptized twelve disciples people “in the name of the Lord Jesus.” Believe in the Lord Jesus Christ and be baptized.

5. Believers should gather in His name. Jesus says where two or three are gathered together in His name, He is there in the midst of them (Matthew 18:20). In other words, when we gather unto His name, under His authority, or to worship Him, He is present with us. Therefore, we must honour Him and expect wonderful things to happen.

6. Miracles, including healings, are done in His name. All manners of miracles are done in the name of Jesus. Jesus says in Mark 9:39 no one who works a miracle in His name can soon afterward speak evil of Him. He says in His name those who believe shall lay hands on the sick, and they shall recover (Mark 16:18).

In Acts 3:6, Peter told the lame at the Beautiful Gate to rise up and walk n the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth. He took him by the right hand and lifted him up. The man was healed and he started walking, leaping, and praising God.

Consequently, the Jewish Council asked Peter and John by what power or name they had healed the man (Acts 4:7).  Peter, filled with the Holy Spirit, replied that it was by the name of Jesus Christ. He said there was salvation in no one else and no other name in all of heaven for people to call to be saved (Acts 4:9-12). Command healing, deliverance, and miracles in the name of Jesus.

7. Demons are cast out in His name. Matthew 10:1 says when Jesus had called His twelve disciples to Him, He gave them power over unclean spirits, to cast them out and heal all kinds of sickness and disease. The power He gave them was in His name. As we’ve seen, the demons submitted to the seventy/seventy-two disciples in His name (Luke 10:17-20).

In Acts 16:18-19, Paul commanded the spirit of divination in a girl to come out in the name of Jesus Christ and it came out that very hour. Cast out demons in the name of Jesus.

8. Receive supernatural protection in His name. “The name of the LORD is a strong tower; the righteous run to it and are safe” (Proverbs 18:10 NKJV). For supernatural protection, call the name of Jesus in faith. Testimonies abound of people who have been supernaturally saved in times of danger by calling the name of Jesus.

9. Do whatever you do in His name. Colossians 3:17 says, “And whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him” (NKJV). This means that you do everything you do under the authority of Jesus and to worship Him.

Conclusion: The name of Jesus is above all names. Receive eternal life by believing in His name. Pray in His name. Preach or teach in His name. Cast out demons in His name. Have faith in His name. Honour His name. Use the authority that is in His name. Call His name in faith. Jesus, the name above all names.

TAKE ACTION!

If you are not born again, you need to give your life to Jesus now. I urge you to take the following steps: *Admit you are a sinner and you cannot save yourself and repent of your sins. *Confess Jesus as your Lord and Saviour. *Renounce your past way of life – your relationship with the devil and his works. *Invite Jesus into your life. *As a mark of seriousness to mature in the faith, start attending a Bible-believing and Bible-teaching church. There they will teach you how to grow in the Kingdom of God.

Kindly say this prayer now: O Lord God, I come unto You today. I know I am a sinner and I cannot save myself. I believe that Jesus is the Son of God who died on the cross to save me and resurrected the third day. I repent of my sins and confess Jesus as my Lord and Saviour. I surrender my life to Jesus now and invite Him into my heart. By this prayer, I know I am saved. Thank You, Jesus, for saving me and making me a child of God.

I believe you have said this prayer from your heart. Congratulations! You will need to join a Bible-believing and Bible-teaching church in your area where they will teach you how to live your new life in Christ Jesus. I pray that you flourish like the palm tree and grow like the cedar of Lebanon. May you grow into Christ in all things and become all God wants you to be. I will be glad to hear from you. The Lord be with you.

T. O. Banso is the President, Cedar Ministry International, Abuja, Nigeria.
Phone No: +2348155744752, +2348033113523
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Email: cedarministryintl@yahoo.com,
cedarministryng@gmail.com
Website: www.cedarministry.org