The name of Jesus as a weapon

The name of Jesus as a weapon Intro: Did you read the story about how Christian signs and symbols at Georgetown University had to be covered, at the request of Obama's people, when Obama spoke about his economic policies at the university? Among the signs that were covered was the monogram IHS, a Greek symbol for the name of Jesus. Is it any wonder that the name of Jesus is honored by those who put their faith in Him, and ridiculed and used as a curse word by others who refused to acknowledge his Lordship? Those who use Jesus' name as a curse word know that, whether they acknowledge it or not, there is power in that name. Have you heard anyone use the name of Buddha, or Krishna, or even Mohammad as a curse word? Why not? Because none of those names has the kind of power that Jesus' name has. Why is Jesus' name either honored or ridiculed? Let's see what the Bible says about the name of Jesus. 1. We are commanded to believe in the name of God's Son, Jesus Christ. 1 John 3:23 23 And this is his command: to believe in the name of his Son, Jesus Christ, and to love one another as he commanded us. 2. Those who believe that Jesus is the Christ, have life in his name. John 20:31 31 But these are written that you may believethat Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name. 3. Believers are washed, sanctified and justified in name of Jesus Christ. 1 Corinthians 6:11 11 And that is what some of you were. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God. 4. Even demons listen to commands in Jesus' name. Acts 16:18 18 She kept this up for many days. Finally Paul became so annoyed that he turned around and said to the spirit, “In the name of Jesus Christ I command you to come out of her!” At that moment the spirit left her. 5. Jesus' name has the power to heal. Acts 3:16 16 By faith in the name of Jesus, this man whom you see and know was made strong. It is Jesus’ name and the faith that comes through him that has completely healed him, as you can all see. Acts 4:30 30 Stretch out your hand to heal and perform signs and wonders through the name of your holy servant Jesus.” And most importantly, 6. Jesus' name is above all names, and every knee will bow, in heaven and on earth at the name of Jesus and every tongue will confess that He is Lord. Philippians 2:10 10 that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, Central Truth: Say the name…Jesus Points: How can we use the name of Jesus as a weapon? 1. Speak His name to bring peace. Mark 4:35-41 Jesus Calms the Storm 35 As evening came, Jesus said to his disciples, “Let’s cross to the other side of the lake.” 36 So they took Jesus in the boat and started out, leaving the crowds behind (although other boats followed). 37 But soon a fierce storm came up. High waves were breaking into the boat, and it began to fill with water. 38 Jesus was sleeping at the back of the boat with his head on a cushion. The disciples woke him up, shouting, “Teacher, don’t you care that we’re going to drown?” 39 When Jesus woke up, he rebuked the wind and said to the waves, “Silence! Be still!” Suddenly the wind stopped, and there was a great calm. 40 Then he asked them, “Why are you afraid? Do you still have no faith?” 41 The disciples were absolutely terrified. “Who is this man?” they asked each other. “Even the wind and waves obey him!” A. We face many storms in our Christian walk. B. Don’t surrender to the stress, but remain faithful and call on His name and He will speak peace. In Phil 4:6 the scripture tells us not to worry about anything, pray about everything, we are to call out to God when you are in need and thank Him for all He has done. Central Truth: Say the name…Jesus 2. Say His name with confidence. When we use the name of Jesus we can have the confidence that it’s His authority we are acting in. John 14:13 says You can ask for anything in my name, and I will do it, so that the Son can bring glory to the Father. As Christians when we pray, we speak to God the Father and make our request known to him. But we can do so because Jesus gave us the permission to come before God the Father. When we say "in the name of Jesus", we are acknowledging that everything we get from God comes because of what Jesus did at Calvary. 3. Pray the names of God The Bible was originally written in Greek and Hebrew and translated into English for us. If you look at the original text you find great meaning behind the names of God in the scriptures. By praying these names and tiles give us a great insight about the God we serve. When praying these names we gain spiritual power. When we know exactly who we are dealing with empowers us when in battle. Be a name dropper when doing spiritual warfare. JEHOVAH-JIREH: "The Lord Will Provide" (Genesis 22:14) – the name memorialized by Abraham when God provided the ram to be sacrificed in place of Isaac. JEHOVAH-RAPHA: "The Lord Who Heals" (Exodus 15:26) – “I am Jehovah who heals you” both in body and soul. In body, by preserving from and curing diseases, and in soul, by pardoning iniquities. JEHOVAH-NISSI: "The Lord Our Banner" (Exodus 17:15), where banner is understood to be a rallying place. This name commemorates the desert victory over the Amalekites in Exodus 17. JEHOVAH-M'KADDESH: "The Lord Who Sanctifies, Makes Holy" (Leviticus 20:8; Ezekiel 37:28) – God makes it clear that He alone, not the law, can cleanse His people and make them holy. JEHOVAH-SHALOM: "The Lord Our Peace" (Judges 6:24) – the name given by Gideon to the altar he built after the Angel of the Lord assured him he would not die as he thought he would after seeing Him. Illustration: There has been many times when I over hear my kids and even my wife from time to time treating each other with my name. They can threaten all they want and it does no good until they actual say the name. DAD!!!!!! Application: we are the same way when we are being bothered by the enemy and feel his attacks, it’s not until we cry unto Jesus that the enemy disperses. Psalm 120:1 “In my distress I cried unto the Lord, and he heard me. “ Central Truth: Say the name…Jesus