Sunday, April 18, 2010

What's in a Name?


I Am he,” Jesus said. (Judas, who betrayed him, was standing with them.) As Jesus said “I Am he,” they all drew back and fell to the ground! Once more he asked them, “Who are you looking for?”
And again they replied, “Jesus the Nazarene.”“I told you that
I Am he,” Jesus said. “And since I am the one you want, let these others go. 9 He did this to fulfill his own statement: “I did not lose a single one of those you have given me.” John 18:5-8

For some reason, this really stood out to me this morning. It was one of those chilly mornings where I sat with my hot coffee and a lap blanket over my legs and began to read God’s Word. There it was, staring at me in bold letters, “I Am”. At first, I wondered why the letter “A” was capitalized and then it drew my attention to the many times when Jesus said who he was. Then it hit me, like a ton of bricks, that Jesus was stating that He was from the Father and that he was “I Am”. Whoa, that was one of those light bulb over my head moments. So I thought about Exodus when Moses went up to Mount Sinai and encountered the burning bush. When Moses asked, who are you, he heard, “I Am” (Exodus 3:4)
God said to Moses, "I am who I am . This is what you are to say to the Israelites: 'I AM has sent me to you.' "
Well, there is the verse about the name that God gave himself, “I AM”. Now here it is, when Jesus is taken before the various judges, he states the same that he is “I Am he”. What caught my eye was the first time Jesus told the soldiers that he was “I Am he”, they “all drew back and fell on the ground”. That was powerful for me because just the words, “I Am” so astonished the soldiers that they fell! That is the power of the name and when it came from Jesus’ mouth, they were knocked off their feet.
Ah, I thought this morning, what power was in the name of Jesus. I think of the verse:


"Therefore God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name,
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. Philippians 2:9-11

What power is in His name that EVERY knee should bow and where? Heaven, on earth AND under the earth. That means that the name of Jesus is a powerful tool to fight in spiritual warfare! On the earth and under the earth which is Satan’s dominion and just the name of Jesus, makes the demons tremble! The name "Jesus" can make demons leave, can heal the sick and can do many miracles. I am overwhelmed this morning and realize that Jesus was making the statement that He was of God and God was in him. Too bad, many heard the truth but did not believe. Not only do we use the name of Jesus in spiritual warfare, but we are to use the precious name of Jesus with honor, respect and with the greatest of praise. His name is above all names! May the name of Jesus be given all the honor, glory and praise that it deserves!
Question: Have you ever thought about the power of a name? Has this changed your perception of the name of Jesus?