PRAYING IN THE NAME OF JESUS

Notes for Men of Prayer, Monday night 7th September 2009

IN THE NAME OF JESUS

Coming to God in the name of Jesus is like using a key to enter a special room where we may have audience with the great, majestic God of the vast universe.

John 14:13 “And I will do – I Myself will grant – whatsoever you may ask in My name …”

Comment from Ellicott’s Bible Commentary :-
V12, “Because I go unto my Father. – The words are the reason why the believer shall do the works that Christ does, as well as the reason why he shall do greater works: because He will be at the Father’s right hand, and will do whatsoever they shall ask in His name. And whatsoever ye shall ask in my name, that will I do. The width and limitation of the promise are both to be noted. Personal petitions are not contemplated here, except as far as they are for the glory of God, and petitions asked in ignorance may be most truly answered when they are not granted. We commonly attach to our prayers ‘Through Jesus Christ our Lord’. This implies an absolute self-sacrifice, and it is a prayer that our prayers may not be answered except insofar as they are in accordance with the divine will.’

John 15:16 “… so that whatever you ask the Father in My name (as presenting all that I AM ) He may give it to you.”

John 16:23 “I assure you, most solemnly I tell you, that My Father will grant you whatever you ask in My name.”
Ellicott’s Bible Commentary. “The thought is that the prayer is offered in Christ’s name and that the answer to every such prayer is in virtue of His name.”

Luke 1:31, “… and the angel (Gabriel) said to her (Mary) you shall call His name Jesus.” Luke 2;21, And at the end of eight days, when the baby was to be circumcised, He was called Jesus.

His name is Jesus but His title is The Christ, like Mrs or Professor or Doctor.

Phil 2:5. Let this same attitude and purpose and [humble] mind be in you which was in Christ Jesus: [Let Him be your example in humility:] 6Who, although being essentially one with God and in the form of God possessing the fullness of the attributes which make God God], did not think this equality with God was a thing to be eagerly grasped or retained, 7But stripped Himself [of all privileges and rightful dignity], so as to assume the guise of a servant (slave), in that He became like men and was born a human being. 8And after He had appeared in human form, He abased and humbled Himself [still further] and carried His obedience to the extreme of death, even the death of the cross! 9Therefore [because He stooped so low] God has highly exalted Him and has freely bestowed on Him the name that is above every name, 10That in (at) the name of Jesus every knee should (must) bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, 11And every tongue [frankly and openly] confess and acknowledge that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.
John 1:12. But to as many as did receive and welcome Him, He gave the authority (power, privilege, right) to become the children of God, that is, to those who believe in – adhere to, trust in and rely on – His name;
Acts 16 3Paul desired Timothy to go with him [as a missionary]; and he took him and circumcised him because of the Jews that were in those places, all of whom knew that his father was a Greek. 4As they went on their way from town to town, they delivered over [to the assemblies] for their observance the regulations decided upon by the apostles and elders who were at Jerusalem. 5So the churches were strengthened and made firm in the faith, and they increased in number day after day. 12And from there [we came] to Philippi, which is the chief city of the district of Macedonia and a [Roman] colony. We stayed on in this place some days; 13And on the Sabbath day we went outside the [city's] gate to the bank of the river where we supposed there was an [accustomed] place of prayer, and we sat down and addressed the women who had assembled there. 16As we were on our way to the place of prayer, we were met by a slave girl who was possessed by a spirit of divination [claiming to foretell future events and to discover hidden knowledge], and she brought her owners much gain by her fortunetelling. 17She kept following Paul and [the rest of] us, shouting loudly, These men are the servants of the Most High God! They announce to you the way of salvation! 18And she did this for many days. Then Paul, being sorely annoyed and worn out, turned and said to the spirit within her, I charge you in the name of Jesus Christ to come out of her! And it came out that very moment.
Acts 19. 6And as Paul laid his hands upon them, the Holy Spirit came on them; and they spoke in [foreign, unknown] tongues (languages) and prophesied. 7There were about twelve of them in all. 8And he went into the synagogue and for three months spoke boldly, persuading and arguing and pleading about the kingdom of God. 9But when some became more and more stubborn (hardened and unbelieving), discrediting and reviling and speaking evil of the Way [of the Lord] before the congregation, he separated himself from them, taking the disciples with him, and went on holding daily discussions in the lecture room of Tyrannus from about ten o'clock till three. 10This continued for two years, so that all the inhabitants of [the province of] Asia, Jews as well as Greeks, heard the Word of the Lord [concerning the attainment through Christ of eternal salvation in the kingdom of God]. 11And God did unusual and extraordinary miracles by the hands of Paul, 12So that handkerchiefs or towels or aprons which had touched his skin were carried away and put upon the sick, and their diseases left them and the evil spirits came out of them.

Exorcists, (to deliver a person from evil spirits), the seven sons of Sceva. Adjure = to bind, charge or command.
13Then some of the travelling Jewish exorcists (men who adjure evil spirits) also undertook to call the name of the Lord Jesus over those who had evil spirits, saying, I solemnly implore and charge you by the Jesus Whom Paul preaches! 14Seven sons of a certain Jewish chief priest named Sceva were doing this. 15But [one] evil spirit retorted, Jesus I know, and Paul I know about, but who are you? 16Then the man in whom the evil spirit dwelt leaped upon them, mastering two of them, and was so violent against them that they dashed out of that house [in fear], stripped naked and wounded.