Bob Josey - Thriving in Jesus Chapter 10- Praying in Jesus' Name - May 8, 2022

SLIDES

Thriving in Jesus

Chapter 10

Praying in Jesus’ Name

Introduction

Selecting the name for a business can be one of the most important and potentially challenging steps of starting a business. The name of a business can determine if it succeeds or fails. Choosing a name for a product is also vital to the failure or success of a product.

In just about every area of life, names are important, whether animate or inanimate. After all, names are important because they identify what a thing is – a book, a car, a street, a tree, a hurricane, a disease, parts of the body, animals, etc. The two most important things that have a name to identify themselves is God and humans. God has many names that describe who He is, His’ character, and what He does – Yahweh – the God that exists, Elohim - the strong God, El Shaddai - God Almighty, El Elyon - The Most High God. El Olam- Everlasting God, etc. There are many other names that describe who God is.

The names of humans are also important. We have first names, middle names, and last names that help to distinguish us from other people. There are many traditions around the world about naming children. Jewish people, for example, usually do not name a child after a living relative.

In biblical times naming a child was different then in it today. The biblical concept of naming was rooted in the ancient world’s understanding that a name expressed essence. To know the name of a person was to know that person’s total character and nature. Revealing character and destiny, personal names might express hopes for the child’s future. There are instances in the Scriptures when naming could be attributed to God through a divine birth announcement (Gen. 17:19; Luke 1:13). By the time Jesus was born, naming took place on the eighth day for a male children which was accompanied by circumcision as in see in Luke 1&2.

Names chosen by those naming a child conveyed an understandable meaning within the biblical world. As Rachel was dying, she called her son Benoni, “son of my sorrow” (Gen. 35:18). Jacob renamed him Benjamin (“son of my right hand”). Jacob was named “the supplanter” for he was “holding on to Esau’s heel” (Gen. 25:26). Esau means “hairy.” Moses named his son Gershom (Exod. 2:22), the “stranger in a strange land.” Conditions of the times proved imaginative as well: Ichabod, “The glory has departed from Israel,” came about by the ark of the covenant falling into Philistine hands. (1 Sam. 4:21–22) Nabal means “fool.”

On occasion, people’s names were changed by others. Nebuchadnezzar, King of Babylon, changed Daniels name to Belteshazzar. Nebuchadnezzar also changed the names of Daniel’s three friends. In Egypt Joseph’s name was change by Pharoah to Zephenath-Paneah. In Jesus’s day some Jewish people had a Jewish name and a non-Jewish name. Take for example Matthew whose Jewish name was Levi. Luke’s Jewish name was Kepha, and Mark’s Jewish name was Yochanan (John). This was very common then, and today is also common among Jews living outside of Israel. The most notable person that had two names from birth was Paul. His Jewish name was Sh’uel or Saul and his Roman name was Paul.

Things really get interesting when God changes someone’s name. The first two individuals recorded in Scripture whose names were changed by God was Abram and Sari. Abram means exalted father and Abrham means father of many. Sarai means my princess and Sarah means princess which means she would also be the mother of many. When Jacob wrestled with God in Genesis 32, God changed his name, when Jacob demanded the angel bless him, from Jacob, supplanter, to Isarel, God contends or fights. God fought Jacob and now by the name change God will fight with (alongside of) Isarel. As Israel entered the Promise Land, their victories would not come by the usual way by which nations gain power, but in the power of the divine blessing that God would fight for Isael. This was put it into perspective in Zecheriah 4:6. … Not by might nor by power, but by My Spirit, says the Lord of hosts.

Praying in Jesus’ Name

As we have just seen, in the biblical context, names in the culture of the Middle East were important and significant. I discussed this background information so that we can get a better understanding of Jesus’ name and so we can better understand why praying in Jesus’ name is so important? Most of us have tacked on the phrase “in Jesus’ name, at the end of our prayers without realizing the significance of what that phrase really means. I want to answer that question today.

Before Jesus was born, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream. In Matthew 1:21 we find that the angel told him that Mary was with child by the Holy Spirit. “She will bear a Son; and you shall call His name Jesus (Yeshua), for (because) He will save His people from their sins.” Jesus’ name in Hebrew is Yashua which means the Lord saves or delivers. Christ in Greek is the equivalent of Messiah in Hebrew which means the anointed one. The term Messiah or Christ

is a title not a name. His name is Yeshua. His title is Messiah. He is Yeshua the Messiah. He is Jesus the Christ.

During the three years while Jesus was with His’s disciples, They prayed to the Father and He prayed to the Father for them. Since He was about to return to heaven, He told them to pray to the Father in His’ name in John 14:12-14.

12“Truly, truly, I say to you, he who believes in Me, the works that I do, he will do also; and greater works than these he will do; because I go to the Father.

13“Whatever you ask in My name, that will I do, so that the Father may be glorified in the Son.

14“If you ask Me anything in My name, I will do it.

During our last lesson, we discussed that any request we have for the Lord will be answered in relation to His will generally as it relates to Scripture and specifically as it relates to the works we do for Him or ministry He has led us to do. Most these works or the ministry we are involved in are in relation to the spiritual gift(s) He has given us, but not always. We are discussing the same verses we did last week, except we are focusing on asking or praying in Jesus’ name today.

When Jesus ascended to the Father, the twelve and other disciples were to step into the ministry vacuum He left behind. Those who believed were to pick up where Jesus left off and were to extend His ministry even farther. In verse 13 Jesus declared that requests offered in the continuation of the Son’s ministry would be answered as if He had spoken the prayer Himself.^. In verse 14 Jesus clarifies an underlying condition to the promise which is to pray in Jesus’ name. To speak or act in someone’s name is to act on their behalf or in pursuit of their interests as an agent or an ambassador would do. In other words, the Lord will not grant requests that contradict His own nature or oppose His plan.

In these verses we also see the pattern that we should follow in prayer.

We pray to the Father, in Jesus’ name, in the power of the Holy Spirit.

When Christians pray “in Jesus’ name,” it is an admission that we only have standing to speak with the Father because Jesus granted it to us. It’s a bit like a police officer yelling at a criminal, “Stop! I’m an FBI agent,” or a royal servant telling the king’s subjects, “In the name of the king, I declare that everyone must pay their taxes.” The police officer derives his standing to act from the law, and the royal servant derives his from the king. To end a prayer, “I ask these things in Jesus’ name, amen,” is an admission that we have no authority to make requests of God the Father apart from the authority granted to us by His Son. So, we should not ask for things not in His will nor expect to receive things that are not in His will.

Many of us have prayed in Jesus name since we were kids. But do we understand the importance for believers to pray in Jesus’ name. We know that praying in Jesus’ name is not something that is magical, so why is it so important? I would like for us to discuss several reasons why praying in Jesus name is important to believers.

Questions and Comments

First, believers should pray in Jesus’ name because He delivered us from our sins.

Jesus’ name, Yeshua, means the Lord saves or delivers. As Moses was the great deliverer in the Old Testament who liberated and rescued Isarel from the Egyptians, Jesus would be the Great Deliverer of the New Testament who would liberate and rescue Israel (and the world) from their sins. Because of Jesus’ death, burial, and resurrection the portal has opened for us to pray directly to the Father. So, as believers in Jesus, we should honor His name every time we pray because He is the one who became a sin sacrifice for us resulting in eternal life, therefore making it possible for us to pray directly to the Father.

Second, believers should pray in Jesus name because His name is superior to all names.

Jesus by taking on a human body displayed unselfishness, humility, and sacrificial attitudes during His life and was willing to be separated from the Father. He came to earth as a human so He could identify with those for whom He would die. Let’s read Philippines 2:9-11.

9For this reason also, God highly exalted Him, and bestowed on Him the name which is above every name,

10so that at the name of Jesus every knee will bow, of those who are in heaven and on earth and under the earth,

11and that every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

The name that God bestowed upon Him was Yeshua – the LORD saves or delivers. It describes who He is and what He did for humanity. The exaltation that the Father bestowed on Him refers to His resurrection, ascension, and glorification at the Father’s right hand (Acts 2:33; Heb. 1:3).

Because of Christ’s exaltation and having a superior name, one day every knee will bow and acknowledge Him for who He claimed to be and who He is. Some will bow and joyfully acknowledge Him voluntarily but most will bow and acknowledge Him involuntarily. Everyone will confess that He is God, the promised Messiah, and Savior of the world. Paul also emphasized this same truth Romans 4:11. In both Romans and Philippians, Paul was reflecting on Isaiah’s prophecy in 45:23.

Did you notice in Philippians 2:10 that the extent of Christ’s sovereign authority is described as occurring in heaven and on earth and under the earth? No being with intelligence will escape—whether angels and saints in heaven; people living on the earth; or Satan, demons, and the unsaved in in the nether regions of the earth. All will bow either willingly or they will be made to do so.

In Philippians 2:11 we find that all those I just mentioned will confess is that Jesus Christ is Lord. These verses in Philippians are an early Christian creed that recognized Jesus as Yahweh God of the Old Testament. Obviously this cannot mean personal Lord and Master of one's life, since those “under the earth” as seen in verse 10 could not acknowledge this. On that day all will realize that He is who He said He was, but for most people who ever lived, it will be too late. The exaltation of Jesus is for the glory of God the Father.

So, when we pray, we should end our prayer in the name of Jesus who is highly exalted and whose name is superior to all names.

Third, believers should pray in Jesus’ name because of His sovereign authority.

After Jesus’ death, burial, and resurrection and before His ascension the Father in heaven, Jesus gave His disciples their marching orders and the marching orders for future believers to make disciples. In giving these marching orders, He told them in Matthew 28:18 that all authority has been given to Him in heaven and on earth. We are not only to evangelize and make disciples on the basis of His’ authority but also to pray in the name of His’ authority.

In John 17:2 John recorded that the Father had given Jesus “authority over all flesh, that to all whom You have given Him, He may give eternal life” and in John 5:27 he records that Jesus has “authority to execute judgment, because He is the Son of Man.” Jesus has both the authority to grant eternal life to those who trust in Him as Savor and to judge those who deserve eternal death because they rejected God on the Old Testament and Jesus in the New Testament.

Remember the story in Matthew 8 about the Roman centurion who found Jesus in Capernaum. He made a strong and urgent request for Jesus to heal his servant from being paralyzed and tormented and was near death. Jesus agreed to come to his home and heal his servant. The centurion told Jesus there was no need for him to come to his’ house. Since he was a man who had authority and was used to giving orders, He knew that Jesus, being who He was, could give the order at distance and the servant would be healed. Jesus did just that and commended this Roman centurion and Gentile for having more faith than anyone in Isarel.

When we pray, we should use the name of Jesus recognizing that He can answer any prayer and meet any need we have in accordance to His’ will, if we just have faith that He has the authority to answer our prayers and meet our needs. In James 1:6-7 he tell us that if we do not ask in faith without doubting, we will not receive what we are requesting.

In the old American West, before the days of credit cards, a shopkeeper would maintain a ledger book recording the financial activities of each customer’s account and the amount owed. The business owner knew his customers well and the work in which they were involved. A customer would at times send others to the shop for him to make purchases and bring back materials needed for his home or business. Those sent in the customer’s stead (e.g., his children) would be able to receive the goods “in the name of” the account owner. But, if they tried to purchase things like candy that would not in line with what the shopkeeper knew the customer needed or wanted, the purchase would be denied.

Praying to the Father in Jesus’ name is similar to those old financial transactions. Jesus holds the account, and we are welcome to come to the Father with requests in Jesus’ name to receive what we need. The Father willingly grants our requests because of Jesus’ standing. Of course, if we are asking for things that we don’t need or that are contrary to the character or will of Christ, then we cannot expect to receive those things.

When He said He would give “whatever you ask in my name,” Jesus was not delivering a magical formula for getting whatever we want. He was giving us a guiding principle to align one’s desires with God’s. When we pray “in Jesus’ name,” we pray according to the will of God; we pray for what will honor and glorify Jesus. God will provide the means necessary to accomplish His objectives, and equips us as His servants for the works or ministry He has given to us. Ultimately, God receives all the glory and praise for what is done.

I heard a story once that illustrates this well. A pastor friend took his young son and about 14 of his son’s friends to a birthday party at the county fair, where he bought a roll of tickets. He stood at the entrance of every ride, and as the kids came by — his son and the 14 friends — he gave each of them a ticket. At some point during the day, he looked up and realized there was a little boy that he’d never seen in his life with his hand out, asking for a ticket. He asked him, “Are you with my son’s party?” No. “Why should I give you a ticket?” The young boy turned and pointed to the man’s son and said, “Your son said you’d give me one.” So, the man gave him one.

Here’s the point: we don’t have any right to get any answered prayers from the Father. But when we pray and ask the Father for requests, we don’t ask on our own merit or in our name. We come to His throne on the merit and in the name of Jesus. We just need to say, “Father, I’m coming to you because your Son said I could.“

To sum up today’s lesson, believers should pray in Jesus’ name because He delivered us from our sins, because His name is superior to all names, and because of His sovereign authority.

Selah!

Questions and Comments