Philippians 2:9-11 (NLT) – Therefore, God elevated Him to the place of highest honor and gave Him the name above all other names, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue declare that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.
Listen: The Name of Jesus by Koryn Hawthorne
From early on in our walk as ambassadors of Christ, we are taught the name of Jesus in regards to who He is and what He has done for all of mankind. We are taught the earthly lineage of Jesus and His conception with His mother, Mary. We are taught that He was born in a manager, was raised in a traditional Jewish household, began His public earthly ministry around the age of thirty and was crucified, buried, and rose from the dead. We are taught to end our prayers in the name of Jesus. We are taught not to take the name of the Lord in vain. But when it comes to truly understanding the power of the name of Jesus, do we really know what the name means and the great power it carries. I think if we did, our lives would look differently, our speech would sound differently, and our service to others would definitely be different.
What is the name of Jesus?
The name of Jesus is a weapon, a powerful weapon, that we have been given as ambassadors of Christ. It is our authority! We are to use this authority, under the guidance of the Holy Spirit, to engage in warfare with our enemy and to defeat Him in the battles we face. We have been entrusted with the name of Jesus to not only use it properly with authority but to also carry it and display it in our character.
How did the name of Jesus come to be our source of such great power?
Jesus was the one who willingly redeemed man to God (He was the only One who could.). We must understand fully that He existed in the form of God with all the attributes of God (they were & are One – John 10:30) before He took on the form of man and came to the earth (Philippians 2:6). He was equal to God in His divine state, yet He humbled Himself by coming in the form of a lower state of being (man) and without being concerned if He would lose His state of equality with God. Because of His willingness and His humbleness even to the point of death, God exalted Him and gave Him the name that is above every other name (Philippians 2:7-9). The name of Jesus comes with the authority of all of heaven. (Read Isaiah 53 and 61:1-3 to understand what He did and how it was spoken of hundreds of years before He came to the earth.)
What is the jurisdiction (the reach of authority) of the name of Jesus?
The name of Jesus has power and authority on the earth, in heaven, and under the earth. Jurisdiction is the power of a government to legislate over a territory. Isaiah 9:6&7 tells us that “the government will be upon His shoulder,” and “…of His government and peace there will be no end.” Romans 13 shares that even earthly governments are under His authority. there are so many examples in the Bible of the jurisdiction of the name of Jesus: John 15:3; John 5:6-9; John 4:46-51; Luke 8:22-25; Luke 8:26-39; Luke 4:33-35; Mark 11:12-14; Matthew 14:13-21; Revelation 1:5,6,18; Revelation 5:4,5. If we had to sum it all up and share what all of this means, we should share 1 Peter 3:18-22 which clearly gives us the why of Jesus’ jurisdiction that has been given by God.
How are we to use the name of Jesus?
As mentioned earlier the name of Jesus is a powerful weapon. It gives us the authority to engage in spiritual warfare with our enemy and stand in victory. When we understand this authority, and the responsibility of this authority, we can declare the word of God effectively and pray in the name of Jesus as if He is praying Himself (John 14:12-14; 15:7,8; Romans 8:26). Remember, we are now ambassadors of Christ, or representatives of His kingdom, carrying His power and His work of reconciling mankind to God. Just as He gave commands and spoke into existence things that were not as though they were, we have this same authority by way of the blood of Jesus and the Holy Spirit. This is why it is important to know who God is, what Jesus has done, how the Holy Spirit counsels us, and our role as citizens of God’s kingdom. We pray the will of the Father and declare the word of God in the name of Jesus. We follow the leading of the Holy Spirit and take authority, or at least should, over circumstances in the earth in the name of Jesus.
There is no circumstance or situation that should overtake us as members of the Body of Christ (this does not diminish the weight of the trials we face). Everything, all things, on earth, in heaven, and even under the earth is under the authority of Jesus. The bible makes this very clear. We must live like we believe the Word and follow Christ’s example.
There is power in the name of Jesus!
Reflective Journal Prompts
Take this time to reflect and journal using the following prompt questions. This is a time of introspection and communion with God. Feel free to leave a comment on the post but use your own journal to go deeper and capture your thoughts about what is shared in the post.
Q: If you were sharing about the power of the name of Jesus with someone who either is not yet a believer or maybe a new believer, what would you say?
Q: When you look over your life and think about some of the situations you have found yourself in where you needed deliverance, how did you use the name of Jesus to remind your situation and your enemy that they must bow to the authority of Jesus in your life? What was the outcome?
Q: Do you really believe, as a follower of Christ, that all circumstances, situations, systems, governments are under the authority of Jesus? When you look out at the world around you, what evidence of this have you seen?
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