Jesus.
When you think of this name, what emotions does it evoke? What do you value about this name? And ultimately, what do you believe when you hear this name?
Your life—and your eternity—depends on it. This name.
Jesus—that wondrous name of God the Son. He descended from the highest heights of heavenly places, to live and and die among us.
The prophet Isaiah foretold His glory, and explains the depths of His eternal reign and kingdom:
“For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace.” (Isaiah 9:6)
“Jesus,” the Greek form of “Joshua” or “Yeshua” in Hebrew, was actually a very common name in ancient Israel. The name “Jesus” does happen to mean “God saves,” so it makes sense that God would instruct Mary to use that name for her Son.
To differentiate our Lord from any other person with the same name, the Bible refers to Him as Jesus of Nazareth, or Christ Jesus—the Savior. “Christ” is the Greek word for the Hebrew word, “Messiah,” and “Messiah” means “Anointed One.”
Jesus of Nazareth, the One called Christ or Messiah, was and is the “Anointed One”—the chosen One of God for His highest, holy purpose.
And what was His highest, holy purpose? To come to earth in human form, live a completely sinless life, suffer and die on the cross as a sacrifice for Sin, rise from the dead, and redeem all of humanity from death, hell and the grave.
Do You Believe in His Name?
“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.” (John 3:16)
The Greek word for “believeth” in John 3:16—the most widely known Bible verse in the world—fully means, “to trust in.” To place your trust in something is much more than believing in something.
You can look at an airplane and believe it is well built, and able to fly. You can admire its structure and design. And, if it has a good track record, you can feel good about the particular airline’s name painted on it’s side. The plane is well made, well built, safe, and has a good reputation. That is head knowledge.
But it takes your complete trust in that plane’s soundness, safety and abilities to actually get on board, and let it lift you off the ground.
John 3:16 conveys believing in Christ—and it’s not just head knowledge, good feelings, or even admiration. This kind of belief involves a complete trust, which results in action—the action of placing your life and eternity into His hands.
It is absolutely crucial that you place your trust in Jesus, and in the fullness of His name—Christ Jesus, or Jesus the Messiah. Why?
His Name is Your Life.
“Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved.” (Acts 4:12)
The Greek biblical word for “name” does not simply mean what a person is called—the word “name” also conveys everything that a person’s name represents. A person’s name can conjure up many thoughts or feelings, as a person’s name can serve to represent that person’s character.
A name can also express the authority of the person or people who bear the name, and anyone who invokes that name asserts the authority behind it. In biblical times, as well as today, “name dropping” of important people is a common way to impress, manipulate, intimidate or even control others.
When we think about the name of Christ Jesus, or Jesus the Messiah, we know that it represents the unlimited, endless list of words we may ascribe to God—including, but not limited to His character, authority, power and majesty.
It’s impossible to fully comprehend the complete scope of perfection, power, character, and supremacy of this name, “Christ Jesus.”
And the name of Christ Jesus is the only name that you can call on to be saved.
Through His work on the cross, He saves you from the power of Sin, and its eternal punishment. As you learn to follow Him, and go in the directions He wants you to go in, He saves you from wrong choices, bad decisions, and their consequences.
He saves you from yourself.
And as you learn to surrender your personal hopes, dreams and desires to Him—submitting to His plan and purpose for your life—the result is a life that you didn’t expect. A life which serves His higher purpose.
Jesus said,
“The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly.” (John 10:10)
The Greek word for “life” in this verse implies both spiritual and physical existence. The word “abundantly” means that it’s beyond our expectations. Of course, our lives in Heaven will be beyond what we can even imagine.
“But these are written, that ye might believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing ye might have life through his name.” (John 20:31)
Whenever we learn to go beyond ourselves and this physical world—and operate within the Kingdom realm of Christ—we experience a bit of Heaven on earth. Life—true life—is experienced through (within the realm of) His name.
His Name is Your Strength.
“And his name through faith in his name hath made this man strong, whom ye see and know: yea, the faith which is by him hath given him this perfect soundness in the presence of you all.” (Acts 3:16)
The apostle Peter was speaking here of a lame man who was healed, but I love how this verse hones in on Jesus’ name when it comes to faith. His name is what made this man strong—through faith in His name.
I don’t know about you, but when I was a new Christian, and finally got a realization of the power that name has over the enemy—I was saying “in the Name of Jesus” a whole lot.
And why not? It is a great and mighty thing to speak the name of Jesus into situations and petitions to God. After all, there is power in the name of Christ Jesus—and we are privileged to enforce His authority when we declare it.
But over the years, as I became used to it, I wonder if I began to drop His name a bit too casually—with barely a thought to His utmost authority in the forefront of my mind.
His name—through faith in His name—makes us strong. While there is power in the name of Jesus—it is not a magic word. There is no power for us in that name—unless we place our faith in His name.
Faith in His name means to believe (to trust in) everything that He is—as God, Lord and Christ. We should never utter His name in authority without consciously bowing down in our minds and hearts, to the Preeminent One of authority.
“For in him we live, and move, and have our being;” (Acts 17:28a)
“And I will strengthen them in the LORD; and they shall walk up and down in his name, saith the LORD.” (Zechariah 10:12)
We live, move and have our being within Christ. And as we place our trust in Him, we are strengthened in the Lord, and “walk up and down” in His name.
Think about a soldier, in full uniform, as he walks up and down an area he is protecting. Everyone who sees him knows that he is a soldier. They know that he represents the army, and that he operates in the authority given to him, as he is backed up by the top brass in charge.
They know that he is highly trained and prepared—and that he takes his job seriously, as he carries out the orders given him. They know that his weapon is at his side, and that he has the authorization to use it when necessary.
They know what they’re in for, if they cross that line of authority.
That is much like who we are in the name of Christ Jesus! As we walk in faith, we literally walk up and down in the authority of Christ. And as we walk in confidence of who He is, as we wear the full armor of God, the devil can see who he is dealing with.
The enemy doesn’t just see you, or me. He sees the God we serve—the unmatched power in which He operates, the unlimited scope of His domain, and the supremacy of His rule.
And we have access to all of this, at our word—in His name!
His Name is Your Safe Place.
“The name of the Lord is a strong tower: the righteous runneth into it, and is safe.” (Proverbs 18:10)
The name of Jesus isn’t just a name—it is a place.
Troubled souls are harbored there. Grieving ones find comforting arms. Suffering and sadness are welcome.
God’s mighty tower of refuge stands tall—against the horizon of doubt, pain, and fear. It is a quiet place to listen, among the deafening distractions of this world we face. We are truly being held and harbored by this strong tower—this great name of Jesus.
Feel free to run in and be safe.
“Shew thy marvellous lovingkindness, O thou that savest by thy right hand them which put their trust in thee from those that rise up against them. Keep me as the apple of the eye, hide me under the shadow of thy wings” (Psalm 17:7-8)
The shadow of His wings! Can you imagine anything more safe than this place?
It is the power of that great name of Jesus which causes us to trust, even in the midst of miserable circumstances.
When things seem to be against us, He never is. When a kind word cannot be found, we find Him there, ready to overshadow our pain, our disappointments, and even our failures.
Truly, the name of Jesus has wings!
“Hear my cry, O God; attend unto my prayer. From the end of the earth will I cry unto thee, when my heart is overwhelmed: lead me to the rock that is higher than I. For thou hast been a shelter for me, and a strong tower from the enemy.” (Psalm 61:1-3)
What a God we serve! What a name we serve! We may cry to Him literally “from the ends of the earth” and He will hear us.
Are you overwhelmed? He never is. His name is always the high Rock—the straight and strong tower that saves us from the enemy.
No wonder the name of Jesus means, “God saves!”
His Name is Your Identity.
“And they shall see his face; and his name shall be in their foreheads.” (Revelation 22:4)
It’s hard to comprehend the apostle John’s vision of this scene in Heaven, in our human, finite minds. But just getting a picture of this gives me goosebumps! His name—on my forehead?!
A picture speaks a thousand words, and there are many words that come to my mind. Imprinted. Stamped. Sealed. Purchased. Marked.
The fact that it’s on (or in) the forehead makes this even more exciting—although I can’t begin to understand it enough to write about. But there is one thing I do understand—we are His.
“Having predestinated us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to himself, according to the good pleasure of his will,” (Ephesians 1:5)
We are adopted by God, through Christ Jesus. Now, think about this for a minute. This makes us children of God—which makes us family. Through Christ Jesus, we are quite literally blood relatives!
And what do blood relatives of the same family have in common? Their lineage—which can be traced back to one family name.
Let that sink in. Each of us have our human names, our surnames which identify our earthly lineage. But as we are purchased by His blood, and marked as His possession, we are alive in Christ—and we are now privileged to be in His spiritual lineage—sharing in His spiritual heritage.
We all share the name that God has given us—the same name which Christ Jesus has been given:
“Wherefore God also hath highly exalted him, and given him a name which is above every name: That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth;” (Philippians 2:9-10)
People—my brothers and sisters in Christ—we share the name which is above all names! It’s my name, and it’s your name.
And you don’t just carry it around, like some business card. You are marked with it! Now, that is some kind of identity. You are somebody—really somebody—to be sealed by God as His own.
As we are one with Christ, we share in everything He is, and everything He has.
And…all the hate the world can throw at us. Look at what Jesus said here:
“If the world hate you, ye know that it hated me before it hated you. If ye were of the world, the world would love his own: but because ye are not of the world, but I have chosen you out of the world, therefore the world hateth you.” (John 15:18-19)
Yes, friends. Being hated is part of the deal.
Satan—who hates Christ and His family with a passion—goes around influencing people all over the earth. He knows his end, and it is not good.
His goal, while he lives, is to pull out all the stops—to keep people away from the salvation of Christ Jesus, and ruin them. His major tactic is to stop Christians from spreading His name on the earth.
Even during the earliest history of the church, those who rejected Christ tried to stop that name:
“…and when they had called the apostles, and beaten them, they commanded that they should not speak in the name of Jesus, and let them go.
And they departed from the presence of the council, rejoicing that they were counted worthy to suffer shame for his name.” (Acts 5:40-41)
The enemy is well aware of the power in that name. And so are you.
You trust in it. Your life and strength are in it. You take refuge in it. His name is your very identity.
So are you willing to suffer shame for it? Are you willing to be insulted, and treated with contempt for the sake of Christ and everything that He is?
Remember—in His Name, you are safe.
“And he hath on his vesture and on his thigh a name written, KING OF KINGS, AND LORD OF LORDS.” (Revelation 19:16)
The name of Jesus. It is like no other name ever given. And for you and me, it is like no other name ever received.
Friend, we sincerely hope these words of encouragement will help you to receive everything that is given to those few, who fully trust in this eternal, all powerful name of Jesus Christ.
The name above all other names. The hope of every trusting heart. All and everything—and for all eternities to come.
All is made possible—by the Name.
If you haven’t already, we urge you to receive Him. And He will receive you—by the power of His own great name.
I hope this blessed you. Do you have questions? Feel free to contact us! ~Andrea