[The following is a full manuscript of my sermon delivered on Sunday morning, the 24th of April, 2016. Look for the video on our Vimeo channel, http://vimeo.com/pilgrimreformedchurch.]
Our modern culture sure does try to put limits on religion, and it seems especially the practice of Christian religion. For instance, just about every governmental entity has completely banned prayer, such as before a Commissioners’ meeting or a high school football game. Even those that do still allow someone to pray forbid them from mentioning the name “Jesus”, either in their prayer or any remarks leading up to it. They will allow phrases like “the God of all that exists” or “the Creator of the universe” or “the all-powerful being”. But the word “Jesus” is a big no-no.
This even extends into non-governmental public events, like professional basketball games and recognition celebrations and some political conventions and rallies. The conventional wisdom has it that someone may be offended if their personal brand of religion is not represented along with the Christian Jesus. It no longer matters that this country was founded upon solid Christian principles by good Christian people. There’s too much of a mix today, and we can’t afford to offend anyone.
Of course, none of that applies, or should apply, to the church and our worship services, whether within these walls or outside them. How many times have you heard me say something like “we come together in the name of Jesus” or “in the name of Jesus we pray”? Well, there’s a very good reason for that. Listen and follow along as I read to you from the Gospel account of the Apostle Matthew, chapter 18 verses 18 through 20, from the New King James Version…
This even extends into non-governmental public events, like professional basketball games and recognition celebrations and some political conventions and rallies. The conventional wisdom has it that someone may be offended if their personal brand of religion is not represented along with the Christian Jesus. It no longer matters that this country was founded upon solid Christian principles by good Christian people. There’s too much of a mix today, and we can’t afford to offend anyone.
Of course, none of that applies, or should apply, to the church and our worship services, whether within these walls or outside them. How many times have you heard me say something like “we come together in the name of Jesus” or “in the name of Jesus we pray”? Well, there’s a very good reason for that. Listen and follow along as I read to you from the Gospel account of the Apostle Matthew, chapter 18 verses 18 through 20, from the New King James Version…
18 “Assuredly, I say to you, whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.
19 “Again I say to you that if two of you agree on earth concerning anything that they ask, it will be done for them by My Father in heaven. 20 For where two or three are gathered together in My name, I am there in the midst of them.”
--Matthew 18:18-20 (NKJV)
Let us pray… Father God, open our ears, our minds, and our hearts to Your words this morning. Impress upon us Your message, Lord, that will carry us through the week ahead. In the blessed name of Jesus we pray. Amen.
A burglar broke into a house one night. As he was rifling through the residence looking for valuables to steal, he heard a voice from the darkness saying, "Jesus is watching you". He almost had a heart attack on the spot! He stopped and looked around, but seeing nothing he shook off his fear and went back to thieving. Suddenly, just as before, the voice spoke again: "Jesus is watching you." He began trembling so much he could hardly contain any composure. He finally approached the corner of a room and there was a bird cage with the cover over it. Those chilling words came from the cage: "Jesus is watching you". The thief pulled off the cover and saw… a parrot. He growled in an angry voice, "What is your name?" The parrot answered, "Moses." The burglar scoffed, "What kind of weird person would name a parrot ‘Moses’?" The parrot replied, "The same kind of person that would name a Rottweiler 'Jesus'."
You can’t say the parrot didn’t try to warn the burglar. Sometimes we can really get ourselves into serious trouble by not paying attention. If the thief had paid attention to Moses the parrot, he would have known that not only was Jesus our Lord watching his every move, but also that fur-covered razor blade, Jesus the Rottweiler, had his eye on what was going on, too. I doubt this had a happy ending for the burglar.
Had you been paying attention and could remember back to early March, while we observed Lent by examining the letters our Lord Jesus addressed to the seven churches in Asia, I spoke to the children using the same title as I’m using for today’s message: “What’s In a Name?”
During that little talk I quoted from the great William Shakespeare play, “Romeo and Juliet”. Our title couple were members of opposing families.
Juliet wonders why a family name could have so horribly great an importance when she ponders: “What's in a name? That which we call a rose by any other name would smell as sweet...” And I told the kids that a name is just a tag that we hang on something to identify it by.
And that is true, as far as it goes. But there is one name above all names, as the Apostle Paul put it. One name that is far more than just a tag. One name that existed before time began and will continue long after time runs out. And that name is Jesus, the most precious, beautiful, powerful name ever known.
The name “Jesus” was fairly common among Jews back in ancient times. We hardly ever hear it used here in America, I think mainly due to the reverence and importance so many people place on it. But babies are still given the name Jesus in some parts of the world even to this day.
The name basically means “God saves”, and that is especially fitting when applied to our Lord Jesus. For it is through Jesus and Jesus alone that our Father God offers us salvation! It is only by God’s grace and Jesus’ sacrifice that we can be saved if we believe in Jesus as God’s Son and follow His commands.
Looking again for a moment at our scripture reading this morning, leading up to and in verse 18 Jesus is referring specifically to unrepentant sinners, those who have already left the ways of God and cannot return to His good graces without repenting. He is saying that if these people fail to repent, they should be removed from the Christian community and will thus be removed from the kingdom of God and will not see heaven.
Jesus continues in verse 19 by instructing us to come to an agreement over the condition of these unrepentant sinners and to pray over them, asking that the Lord might soften their hearts, seeking forgiveness on their behalf. We are not to ask for judgment against them, but forgiveness for them.
And if two or more of us agree and pray in this manner, then God will hear and do what is asked. Because, as verse 20 declares, when two or more of us gather in the name of Jesus, He is right there with us. He is joining us in our request to God. How could God refuse to answer that prayer?
It is because of verse 20 that I feel this entire passage applies not only to our actions against or on behalf of unrepentant sinners, but in how we approach just about every aspect of church life. When we invoke the name of Jesus, we are calling upon the most powerful force in the universe to come and sit down beside us, to share in whatever we happen to be doing, to take part in our daily life! Jesus is so powerful that the mere mention of His name carries the same power!
I believe that the Apostle John provides us the best illustration of this. Listen to the words that John recorded Jesus saying in the 14th chapter of his Gospel account, verses 13, 14, and 26…
A burglar broke into a house one night. As he was rifling through the residence looking for valuables to steal, he heard a voice from the darkness saying, "Jesus is watching you". He almost had a heart attack on the spot! He stopped and looked around, but seeing nothing he shook off his fear and went back to thieving. Suddenly, just as before, the voice spoke again: "Jesus is watching you." He began trembling so much he could hardly contain any composure. He finally approached the corner of a room and there was a bird cage with the cover over it. Those chilling words came from the cage: "Jesus is watching you". The thief pulled off the cover and saw… a parrot. He growled in an angry voice, "What is your name?" The parrot answered, "Moses." The burglar scoffed, "What kind of weird person would name a parrot ‘Moses’?" The parrot replied, "The same kind of person that would name a Rottweiler 'Jesus'."
You can’t say the parrot didn’t try to warn the burglar. Sometimes we can really get ourselves into serious trouble by not paying attention. If the thief had paid attention to Moses the parrot, he would have known that not only was Jesus our Lord watching his every move, but also that fur-covered razor blade, Jesus the Rottweiler, had his eye on what was going on, too. I doubt this had a happy ending for the burglar.
Had you been paying attention and could remember back to early March, while we observed Lent by examining the letters our Lord Jesus addressed to the seven churches in Asia, I spoke to the children using the same title as I’m using for today’s message: “What’s In a Name?”
During that little talk I quoted from the great William Shakespeare play, “Romeo and Juliet”. Our title couple were members of opposing families.
Juliet wonders why a family name could have so horribly great an importance when she ponders: “What's in a name? That which we call a rose by any other name would smell as sweet...” And I told the kids that a name is just a tag that we hang on something to identify it by.
And that is true, as far as it goes. But there is one name above all names, as the Apostle Paul put it. One name that is far more than just a tag. One name that existed before time began and will continue long after time runs out. And that name is Jesus, the most precious, beautiful, powerful name ever known.
The name “Jesus” was fairly common among Jews back in ancient times. We hardly ever hear it used here in America, I think mainly due to the reverence and importance so many people place on it. But babies are still given the name Jesus in some parts of the world even to this day.
The name basically means “God saves”, and that is especially fitting when applied to our Lord Jesus. For it is through Jesus and Jesus alone that our Father God offers us salvation! It is only by God’s grace and Jesus’ sacrifice that we can be saved if we believe in Jesus as God’s Son and follow His commands.
Looking again for a moment at our scripture reading this morning, leading up to and in verse 18 Jesus is referring specifically to unrepentant sinners, those who have already left the ways of God and cannot return to His good graces without repenting. He is saying that if these people fail to repent, they should be removed from the Christian community and will thus be removed from the kingdom of God and will not see heaven.
Jesus continues in verse 19 by instructing us to come to an agreement over the condition of these unrepentant sinners and to pray over them, asking that the Lord might soften their hearts, seeking forgiveness on their behalf. We are not to ask for judgment against them, but forgiveness for them.
And if two or more of us agree and pray in this manner, then God will hear and do what is asked. Because, as verse 20 declares, when two or more of us gather in the name of Jesus, He is right there with us. He is joining us in our request to God. How could God refuse to answer that prayer?
It is because of verse 20 that I feel this entire passage applies not only to our actions against or on behalf of unrepentant sinners, but in how we approach just about every aspect of church life. When we invoke the name of Jesus, we are calling upon the most powerful force in the universe to come and sit down beside us, to share in whatever we happen to be doing, to take part in our daily life! Jesus is so powerful that the mere mention of His name carries the same power!
I believe that the Apostle John provides us the best illustration of this. Listen to the words that John recorded Jesus saying in the 14th chapter of his Gospel account, verses 13, 14, and 26…
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.
26 “But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all that I said to you.”
--John 14:13-14, 26 (NASB)
Ask in the name of Jesus and our Lord will make it happen, all to glorify God! In His name our Father God sent His most Holy Spirit to live within us, to guide us, to help us, to teach us, to be our constant and sure Companion. It all happens in Jesus’ name!
Now we have to understand that we can’t just ask for anything and Jesus will go “Presto!” and poof it appears. It has to be meaningful and fit within God’s plan and within His timing. And above all, we must have faith, the kind of faith that can move mountains. Nor will Jesus always give us exactly what we ask for, but instead exactly what we need. But the point is the importance of calling on the name of Jesus, for without that, we get nothing.
If the name of Jesus is such a powerful force in this world and in heaven, who do you suppose would be against it being spoken? Who stands to lose the most if that name is invoked for any reason? Satan does.
Lucifer, the devil, absolutely hates the name of Jesus. His influence rules this earthly realm and he can’t stand it when we call on Jesus. So he makes sure our opportunities to do so are limited. Governmental bodies, who impact the earthly lives of so many, forbid the name of Jesus be spoken aloud. Those who worry about offending anyone are sadly doing Satan’s bidding in this particular instance, even if they think they are doing it for the right reasons.
We, the church, must stay true to Jesus and to His holy name. Going back to those seven churches in Asia again, in Revelation chapter 2 verse 13, Jesus told the church in Pergamos…
No matter what Satan does, no matter what it may cost us, we must stay true to the name of Jesus. We must never give up our faith in Him.
The name of Jesus… There’s just something about that name.
The name of Richard just doesn’t impart the same significance, does it? Nor does the name of Clinton or the name of Trump nor the name of any other mortal man or woman. Buddha didn’t say we could ask anything in his name and we’d get it, neither did Confucius, nor Muhammad.
Only Jesus did. Only the name of Jesus matters. And it has mattered to you and to me since long before the beginning of time. Listen again to what Jesus said as recorded in John’s Gospel account, chapter 15, verse 16…
We accepted Jesus, but He chose us. He chose us as His own. And He chose us before the earth was even created. He chose us that we might bear fruit, His fruit that will remain forever. And all to glorify God.
What’s in a name? If that name is Jesus… Everything. Amen.
Let us pray… Father God, prayer was very important to Jesus while He lived among us as a man. He would often go off by Himself just to pray to You. He even taught us how to pray, giving us the words to use as an example. And He stressed to us just how critical it is to come to You in His name, because He is Your Son.
Father, we try not to ask for meaningless things. We don’t want to trivialize the name of Jesus nor the great power behind that name. You heard us come to You earlier, Father, asking for healing and comfort and protection for our loved ones, and we ask in Jesus’ name because this is so important to us. But Father we also know that Your will must be done, not our will, because You have every detail planned out to work to the good of all those who love You and are called to Your purpose. Still we ask, Father, in the name of Your beloved Son, that our requests, our pleas fall within Your will.
Hear us now, Father, as we come to You in the silence, repenting of our sins against You, asking in the name of Jesus that Your will be done on earth just as it is in heaven, crying out our own needs straight from our hearts…
Lord Jesus, Yours is the name above all names. In You we put our faith. On Your name we will stand. Help us to always stay faithful to You, to remain true to Your name. It is in Your most precious name, dear Jesus, we pray. Amen.
Now we have to understand that we can’t just ask for anything and Jesus will go “Presto!” and poof it appears. It has to be meaningful and fit within God’s plan and within His timing. And above all, we must have faith, the kind of faith that can move mountains. Nor will Jesus always give us exactly what we ask for, but instead exactly what we need. But the point is the importance of calling on the name of Jesus, for without that, we get nothing.
If the name of Jesus is such a powerful force in this world and in heaven, who do you suppose would be against it being spoken? Who stands to lose the most if that name is invoked for any reason? Satan does.
Lucifer, the devil, absolutely hates the name of Jesus. His influence rules this earthly realm and he can’t stand it when we call on Jesus. So he makes sure our opportunities to do so are limited. Governmental bodies, who impact the earthly lives of so many, forbid the name of Jesus be spoken aloud. Those who worry about offending anyone are sadly doing Satan’s bidding in this particular instance, even if they think they are doing it for the right reasons.
We, the church, must stay true to Jesus and to His holy name. Going back to those seven churches in Asia again, in Revelation chapter 2 verse 13, Jesus told the church in Pergamos…
13 “I know that you live where Satan has his throne. But you have kept true to my name. Right there where Satan lives, my faithful witness Antipas was taken from you and put to death. Even then you did not give up your faith in me.”
--Revelation 2:13 (CEV)
The name of Jesus… There’s just something about that name.
The name of Richard just doesn’t impart the same significance, does it? Nor does the name of Clinton or the name of Trump nor the name of any other mortal man or woman. Buddha didn’t say we could ask anything in his name and we’d get it, neither did Confucius, nor Muhammad.
Only Jesus did. Only the name of Jesus matters. And it has mattered to you and to me since long before the beginning of time. Listen again to what Jesus said as recorded in John’s Gospel account, chapter 15, verse 16…
16 “You did not choose Me but I chose you, and appointed you that you would go and bear fruit, and that your fruit would remain, so that whatever you ask of the Father in My name He may give to you.”
--John 15:16 (NASB)
What’s in a name? If that name is Jesus… Everything. Amen.
Let us pray… Father God, prayer was very important to Jesus while He lived among us as a man. He would often go off by Himself just to pray to You. He even taught us how to pray, giving us the words to use as an example. And He stressed to us just how critical it is to come to You in His name, because He is Your Son.
Father, we try not to ask for meaningless things. We don’t want to trivialize the name of Jesus nor the great power behind that name. You heard us come to You earlier, Father, asking for healing and comfort and protection for our loved ones, and we ask in Jesus’ name because this is so important to us. But Father we also know that Your will must be done, not our will, because You have every detail planned out to work to the good of all those who love You and are called to Your purpose. Still we ask, Father, in the name of Your beloved Son, that our requests, our pleas fall within Your will.
Hear us now, Father, as we come to You in the silence, repenting of our sins against You, asking in the name of Jesus that Your will be done on earth just as it is in heaven, crying out our own needs straight from our hearts…
Lord Jesus, Yours is the name above all names. In You we put our faith. On Your name we will stand. Help us to always stay faithful to You, to remain true to Your name. It is in Your most precious name, dear Jesus, we pray. Amen.
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