Honored To Be The People of The Name of Jesus

Let's stand this morning. Amen. Thank you all for being here in the house of the Lord today, and come to the house of the Lord, amen, to receive from Him, but also we come to give to Him.

Amen, and we want to praise Him this morning and ask God to bless, amen, as we lift His name up and as we magnify that name. Because He said in His word, "If I be lifted up, I will draw all men unto Myself." Amen? So we want to do that. We want God to draw. Praise the Lord. I'm sure we all have people here that we know,

family members, neighbors, coworkers, that need God. Anybody know anybody like that? Amen. So let's ask God to bless this morning, speak to our hearts, ask Him to anoint all the teachers here to speak His word. Amen? It has to come from an anointing, amen, not just so this one or that one. We want God to speak through each one. Let's pray.

Heavenly Father, we love You. God, we come here today believing, Lord, that You're going to bless, You're going to help. God, I come, Lord, I need to hear from You today. Lord, I want Your will to be done and speak to every heart. Lord, everyone that hears Your word, Lord, let them apply it to their life, God. Bless Your people in a mighty way.

Bless us today, God, as we hear Your word. And Lord God, most of all, we want to lift You up and magnify Your name. In Jesus' name. Can everybody say amen? Amen. While you're standing, if you would, turn in your Bibles to Exodus chapter 20. We're going to read verse 7. Exodus 20 and verse 7 says: "You must not misuse the name of the Lord your God.

The Lord will not let you go unpunished if you misuse His name." Amen. I want to title this, "Honored to Be the People of the Name of Jesus." "Honored to Be the People of the Name of Jesus." You can be seated. Now a lot of times we think when we hear "misusing the name," people are using it in swearing. But it's far more than that.

As Apostolics, we have been labeled "Jesus Only." But the fact is, folks, we're Jesus everything. Amen? Jesus saves, He keeps, He satisfies. And we don't need anything else when we have Jesus. Do you believe that today? We know that Jesus saves. In Luke 19:10, it says,

"For the Son of Man is come to seek and to save that which was lost." In Acts 4:12, now listen to this, folks, this is very important: "Neither is there salvation in any other, for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved." It's only Him. It's in Him. You see, our salvation comes through the name of Jesus.

And we also know that Jesus keeps us. In 2 Timothy 1:12: "For the which cause I also suffer these things: nevertheless I am not ashamed, for I know whom I have believed, and am persuaded that He is able to keep that which I have committed unto Him against that day." John chapter 10, verse 27 and 28: "My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me.

And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of My hand." Amen. Remember, folks, He keeps us. In Jude 24: "Now unto Him that is able to keep you from falling, and to present you faultless before the presence of His glory with exceeding joy," we are kept through the name of Jesus. He keeps us. Amen? That's why, you know, when people are getting close to an accident, they holler out, "Jesus!"

And we've heard many stories where people... God straightens the car out or whatever it takes, folks. Amen? Or almost hit a deer. We are kept through that name. Jesus also satisfies, doesn't He? Amen. Psalms 36:7-9: "How excellent is Thy lovingkindness, O God! therefore the children of men put their trust under the shadow of Thy wings.

They shall be abundantly satisfied with the fatness of Thy house; and Thou shalt make them drink of the river of Thy pleasures. For with Thee is the fountain of life: in Thy light shall we see light." Remember, He satisfies. In John 4:10-14, Jesus replied: "If you only knew the gift God has for you and who I am, you would ask Me, and I would give you living water." This is the woman at the well. She says, "But sir, don't you have a rope or a bucket?"

she said, "and this is a very deep well. Where would you get this living water? And besides, are you greater than our ancestor Jacob, who gave us this well? How can you offer better water than he and his sons and his cattle enjoyed?" Jesus replied, "People soon become thirsty again after drinking this water. But the water I give them takes away thirst altogether.

It becomes a perpetual spring within them, giving them eternal life." You see, we are satisfied through the name of Jesus. Amen? As God reveals Himself to mankind, it becomes undoubtedly apparent that in Jesus dwells all the fullness— hear me today—in Jesus dwells all the fullness of the Godhead, and we are complete in Him, who is above all, through all, and in you all.

Amen? A man by the name of Paul Dickson wrote a book called "Names." And Paul collects unusual names. Ever think of that? Some people have some very unusual names. My first name is Castle, and people like, "Wow!" Now, when I was in school, they'd make fun of me, but up here in Cleveland, everybody that ever asked me about it, they love the name Castle. It's my grandmother's maiden name.

So this man collects unusual names. And sometimes, folks, names seem to be prophetic. Two men that were executed in Florida's electric chair were named Will Burn and Frizzle. A Montreal window washer who fell to his death was named Will Drop. Joe Bunt became a baseball coach. Jeff Treadmill became a podiatrist. Dandruff became a barber.

Two police officers who became partners were named Goforth and Ketchum. O'Neill and Pray became partners in a church equipment business. A plaster contractor was named Will Crumble. A urologist was named P. P. Peters. So I ask you today: what is in a name? What is in a name?

You see, there's a lot in a name when it is the name of God. Why is God so sensitive about His name? Because your name represents three things: Number one, your name represents your reputation. That's why we say, "He's making a name for himself," right?

Or, "He's got a good name," or, "He's got a bad name," right? So when we say a name, we automatically think of a reputation. What do you think when you hear Adolf Hitler? You see what I'm saying? What do you think when you hear Elvis Presley?

What do you think when you hear Queen Elizabeth? See, folks, you think of character when you hear a name. What you are cannot be separated from what your name is once they are identified together. So in the Bible, when somebody changed their character, God often gave them a new name, like Abraham. Abram to Abraham, Jacob, Sarai, Simon. All these different people, God gave them different names. Also, when you hear a name, you think of your authority.

When a police officer stops you, he says, "Stop in the name of the law!" It is the law's authority that stops you, not the man. If John Smith called you while you were eating dinner You might return the call, but if President Trump calls you, you'd most likely take the call immediately.

Names represent authority. When you misuse God's name, you defame his reputation. You defame his character, his authority, because you are using his name flippantly. And there are many other ways to misuse Jesus' name

besides just swearing. Now, how do we know the name of God? We know it from the word. There are many compound names of God in the Old Testament: Jehovah Elohim, the Lord or Creator; Jehovah El Elyon, the Lord Most High God, the owner;

Jehovah Adonai, the Lord, the Master; Jehovah El Olam, the Lord Everlasting; Jehovah Jireh, the Lord the Provider; Jehovah Rapha, the Lord the Healer; Jehovah Nissi, the Lord the Banner or Miracle; Jehovah... all right, some of these words...

M'Kaddesh, the Lord our Sanctification; Jehovah Shalom, the Lord our Peace; Jehovah Shaphat, the Lord the Judge; Jehovah Sabaoth, the Lord of Hosts; Jehovah Tsidkenu, the Lord our Righteousness; Jehovah Raah, the Lord the Shepherd;

Jehovah El-Shaddai, the Lord the Blesser; Jehovah Hoseenu, the Lord our Maker; Jehovah Gibbor, the Lord the Mighty; Jah Jehovah, the Lord the Jehovah; and there's Jehovah Shammah, the Lord the Ever-Present. When you look in the Old Testament, God used several names to refer to himself.

So, I want to look at a couple of these, and I want to look at the two most important ones. God first revealed his name to Moses on Mount Horeb when God called him to be Israel's deliverer from Egypt. He said, "I AM THAT I AM." Now I'm going to try to say this in the original that God spoke to Moses:

"Ehyeh Asher Ehyeh." All right, and it refers to God being eternal, or God being the self-existent One who is omnipotent, omnipresent, and omniscient. It is also a Hebrew idiom meaning, "When you get there, I will be there."

God encouraged Moses that, "I will always be with you." He said, "I will always be what you need me to be, and I will always be there before you get there." So that's what God was telling Moses when he said, "I AM THAT I AM." An old-time preacher once said, "I AM means God ain't ever short and he ain't ever late."

Another old preacher said what God meant was, "I AM everything you need." Another important Old Testament name for God was Yah, which came from four consonants: Yodh, He, Waw, and He, in the Hebrew.

I like one of the buttons, you ever go on Webster's Dictionary online and you hit the button and it pronounced it for you? That's what I wish I had up here. All right. So it came from these four consonants, and it was thus called,

here we go again, Tetragrammaton. All right, something like that, folks. Where's that button? But to actually translate this name into English, we would probably say "the Eternal," or kind of like the Moffatt translation.

The closest that we can come in pronouncing this name would be Yahweh or Yah, or in the English form, Jehovah or Jah. So the Jews had such reverence for the name of God that they would not pronounce it as it was written. Instead, they called it Shem HaMeforash,

or the Ineffable Name. And it would substitute the word with Adonai or Lord, or HaShem, and the name was referring to it. So the Jews, after returning from Babylonian captivity in 450 BC, began to reverence the name Yahweh so greatly

that they outlawed the very use of it. First for the common people, later for the priests, so they outlawed it altogether. Finally, only the high priest was allowed to say it, and only on the Day of Atonement. So when Simon, who was the last high priest permitted to use it,

died in 270 BC, a total prohibition against saying the name came into force among the Jews. Adonai became the substitute word. But God's commandment was not against pronouncing his name. That wasn't what the commandment was. It was just prohibition against misusing the name.

So by the time of Jesus' earthly ministry, the Jews had not heard the proper name Yah of God they were serving for over 300 years. Could you imagine serving somebody for over 300 years and not hear the original name? Now understand this, folks. When you read in the word of God,

God always has typologies. What was the very first institution God created? Anybody? Marriage. The very first institution God created was marriage, so that tells you it's important to God.

He is the groom, who is the bride? We are. Could you imagine not saying his name because you're so reverent? His name's Marty, and you call him Mart.

You see, one thing about a marriage is, it's very intimate. And when you're intimate, you want people to know you and you want to know them. And so we have to understand what took place here. They didn't want anybody to say it and say it wrong. God says, "Look, I don't mind you saying it, I just don't want you to misuse it."

Because we can take names and make fun of them. Look how many laughed when I was reading off all these names, right? God says, "I don't want you to misuse it. I don't mind you using the name." So God prohibited them from misusing his name, not saying his name. So by the time of Jesus' earthly ministry,

the Jews had not heard the proper name Yah of God for over 300 years. So in the New Testament, God accompanied the revelation of himself in flesh with a new name. The name is Jesus, which includes and supersedes Yahweh and all the Old Testament names. Jesus is the redemptive name of God in the New Testament.

It is the name of supreme power and authority and the only saving name, the name given for remission of sins, and the highest name ever revealed. Come on! Amen! Now listen, you hear a lot of people today,

I listen to things and I hear people saying Yeshua and all this other kind of stuff, well, what's wrong with the name of Jesus? It is the highest name revealed today. In Colossians 1:14-19, "In whom we have redemption through his blood, even the forgiveness of sins; Who is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of every creature;

For by him were all things created that are in heaven and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers; all things were created by him and for him; And he is before all things, and by him all things consist; And he is the head of the body, the church, who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead; that in all things he might have the preeminence.

For it pleased the Father that in him should all fullness dwell." Colossians 2:9, "For in him dwelleth all the fullness of the Godhead bodily." Who are we talking about, folks? Amen. Only one compound name is revealed in the New Testament: in Hebrew, Jehovah-Joshua Messiah;

in Greek, Kyrios Iesous Christos, in English, the Lord Jesus Christ. See, Jesus is the Greek form of Joshua, Yeshua, which means Yahweh is salvation. Amen? In Isaiah 45:22 and 23,

"Look unto me, and be ye saved, all the ends of the earth: for I am God, and there is none else. I have sworn by myself, the word is gone out of my mouth in righteousness, and shall not return, That unto me every knee shall bow, every tongue shall swear." Jesus.

Philippians 2:10 and 11, "That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth; And that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father." You see, folks, suddenly a carpenter from Nazareth

is casually using the unutterable name of God to describe himself. But Jesus had a right to use God's name because he was God, and he is God. The Jewish religious leaders were outraged. They understood who Jesus was claiming to be.

The phrase "I am," or the Greek means Ego Eimi, appearing to us just another pronoun and verb, identified him as Yahweh. John 6:35: "I am the bread of life." John 8:12: "I am the light of the world." John 10:9: "I am the door."

John 10:11: "I am the good shepherd." John 11:25: "I am the resurrection, and the life: he that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live." Amen? John 14:6: "I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me." Amen? John 8:24: "If ye believe not that I am he,

ye shall die in your sins." John 8:58: "Before Abraham was, I am." When he talked to the soldiers that were arresting Jesus in John 18:5, Jesus saith unto them, "I am he." Drop down to verse 6, John 18:6, "As soon then as he had said unto them, I am he,

they went backward, and fell to the ground." When he talked to the high priest at the trial in Mark 14:62, and Jesus said, "I am: and ye shall see the Son of man sitting on the right hand of power, and coming in the clouds of heaven." See, folks, the enraged Sanhedrin rushed their prisoner to Pilate,

and forced him to carry out an execution through political pressure because of what he was saying about his name. Pilate is powerless to save the Nazarene, or to save Jesus. Even though he wants to save him. But in an unusual move, Pilate himself writes an inscription and has it placed on the cross.

In John 19:19 through 22, and Pilate wrote a title, and put it on the cross. And the writing was, JESUS OF NAZARETH THE KING OF THE JEWS. This title then read many of the Jews: for the place where Jesus was crucified was nigh to the city: and it was written in Hebrew, and Greek, and Latin.

Then said the chief priests of the Jews to Pilate, Write not, The King of the Jews; but that he said, I am King of the Jews. And Pilate answered, What I have written I have written. In three languages: Hebrew, Greek, and Latin. It says Jesus of Nazareth, the King of the Jews.

Just another epithet to the Greeks and the Romans. But as many of the Jews begin to gather and read the inscription, the chief priests see that they have a problem here. And literally, folks, Pilate says, "What I have written, I will not change one bit." What was that problem that so upset these scholars of the law?

You see, much of the Old Testament poetic literature was written in acrostic form. And this made it easier to memorize. In Psalm 119, each of the 22 sections is labeled by one letter of the Hebrew alphabet, and each of the eight verses in the section starts with that letter.

In the book of Lamentations, each of the chapters is a poem with a similar pattern. Written over Jesus' head was Yeshua HaNatzri V'Melech HaYehudim. I hope that sounds good enough for you. And all the Jewish leaders could see what was written as a first letter.

Each of the word Yod, Hey, Vav, Hey spelled out YHWH for all to see. It was not a carpenter's blood that was being shed that day, folks. It was Yahweh's blood. God's name is Jesus.

We worship the name of Jesus. Folks, there are five ways people misuse God's name, and I want to talk about these. They use God's name to insult. That is when you use profanity or swearing to express irritation at a situation or to demean someone else.

Listen, folks, the United States and Canada are the most foul-mouthed nations in the world and becoming more so. People who swear lack emotional control and maturity. Hear what I'm saying today: People who swear lack emotional control and maturity. Swearing takes no intellect. No intellect.

You can teach a three-year-old or a parrot to swear. In my family years ago, did something with a crow and got it to talking, and it would cuss people out, and somebody shot it. That's what my family told me. See, they use God's name to indulge. This is when we excuse our actions by blaming God for them

instead of taking personal responsibility. We talk about, Pastor, these people always say, "Well, I felt led," or "I didn't feel led." But what they're really feeling is lead in the pants. Okay?

These people say things like, "God will let me know if he wants me or he doesn't want me to do this or do that," when God's will, folks, is already spelled out in his word. Okay? Let me tell you something: your feelings must be subject to God's word. I don't care what you feel God led you to do.

Amen? Leviticus 19:12 says, "Do not make a promise in my name if you do not intend to keep it. That brings disgrace on my name." Amen? Did you guys have that translation, Rob? Did you? Good.

I put it in there. I thought, "Well, if they can, I want this one." So... Folks, when we claim God's approval on something that is clearly not his will, we are breaking the third commandment. When we attempt to co-opt God's blessings and apply it to behavior clearly condemned in both the Old and New Testaments is an abuse of his name.

It is a divine character assassination against God. Also, people use the name of God to intimidate. This is when we claim God's direction for something that is our own making. Dishonest TV evangelists do this all the time. In Hebrew, the third commandment says, "no lifting up of the Lord's name," or as an endorsement, basically.

Or, "You are not to take up the name YHWH your God for emptiness." We would say, "no stealing the Lord's name." So how do you steal God's name? By applying it places it doesn't belong. Anytime, folks, that we misrepresent God, we are taking his name in vain.

And some people try to do this with their spouse or with their children, and they say, "Well, I've prayed about this, and God wants me or God wants us to do this or do that." See, other people try to use this on their pastors, also. They come to pastor for counseling. Problem is they come with their mind already made up.

And all they are really hoping for is for pastor to endorse what they say God is saying. You see, in the world, folks, they call this forgery. Right? When you sign

your name on something that you want to be done, when the person who really should be signing it is not allowed to sign. And that's what people do to God. "Well, Pastor, I'm going to leave because God told me I need to do this, or I need to do that." Well, let me tell you something, folks. I've lived this a long, long time.

And God does everything in decency and in order. And if God doesn't let your pastor know, I don't care if you tell me or not God wants you to do this, I'm telling you you're wrong. Because God will not jump over the leadership. That's like you going at work and your boss is doing something to you, and you go to the

heads up. Well, they don't like that, do they? When you go above them. Okay? Now, there may be something going on there, but not in God's kingdom. So we got to be very careful, because God does everything in order.

Boy, it's got quiet in here. Look it up, folks. It's in the Word. See, there are a lot of spiritual forgers in the world who say "God told me." "God told me." Well, I've seen a lot of people that told me "God told me"

aren't serving God today. Okay? I've been pastor of this church May will be 29 years. Seen a lot of people come and go, and a lot of people said, "God told me." And I didn't feel good, but hey, when they come and tell you instead of saying, "Pastor, what do you think?"

There's no sense of me talking. Right? Should we move on? They use God's name to impress. This is when we try to prove how spiritual we are with religious jargon and clichés. You see, insecure believers like to do this a lot. Folks, talk doesn't impress God. Lifestyle is what impresses God.

You can talk all you want, that don't impress God. But when you live it, that's what impresses God. Don't turn God into a cliché. See, we take God's name in vain when we claim to be committed to Him, but we don't back it up with our lifestyle. It's just words. Titus 1:16 says, "Such people claim they know God, but they deny Him by the way they live. They are detestable and disobedient, worthless for doing anything good." That's a strong scripture, isn't it?

And also, people like to use Jesus' name impulsively. This is when we use God's name without thinking as a convenient expression of fear, or anger, or joy, or amazement, or surprise. What we do then when we do this is we reduce God to a level of "wow" or "far out." You see, God says to use His name seriously.

Impulsively means without thinking. Did you know, folks, that you can even worship impulsively? Did you know that? You take the Lord's name in vain when you are in church singing a song about Him and you're just going through the motions. Or when you pray to Jesus in His name and your mind is a million miles away. Isaiah 29:13 says,

"And so the Lord says, 'These people say they are Mine. They honor Me with their lips, but their hearts are far from Me. And their worship of Me is nothing but man-made rules learned by rote,' or routine. Matthew 6:7 says, "When you pray, don't babble on and on as people of other religions do." Ever catch yourself doing that?

Huh? You get praying, and you find yourself just kind of repeating something, and you're like, "Oh God, forgive me. I'm sorry." So when you pray, don't babble on as people of other religions do. They think their prayers are answered merely by repeating their words again and again. So listen, folks. When you can't think of what to say next in prayer, stop for a minute.

God understands silence. Maybe just listen to see if He would like to talk to you. Listen to me. You don't have to impress anybody. Amen? George Barna said this. He found out that 66% of North Americans admit to having taken the Lord's name in vain. But everyone is guilty of breaking the third commandment in this way.

In Exodus 20 verse 7 says, "You must not misuse the name of the Lord your God. The Lord will not let you go unpunished if you misuse His name." So how do I, or how do you, use God's name correctly? Psalm 61 verse 5 says, "You have given me the blessing You reserve for those who reverence Your name." You see, there are many verses in the Bible that promise God's blessings on our lives if we honor His name. Right?

So how do we honor His name? Reverence God's name continually, folks. We must treat God's name with the utmost respect, using it carefully, using it lovingly as an act of worship. Psalms 29:2, "Honor the Lord for the glory of His name. Worship the Lord in the splendor of His holiness." You see, we can't just sit by and let the Lord's name be blasphemed in what we listen to, Come on,

what we watch, what we participate in. Right? Folks, I'm telling you, we have to be careful what you're listening to, what you're watching, what you're participating in. Is it blaspheming your God? Love demands action. If you love God and you're hearing that stuff in something you're listening to, turn it off. And you have to represent God's name clearly.

Our lifestyle can either lift up the name of the Lord or drag it down into the gutter. Our walk needs to match our talk. If you are a Christian, then you represent Christ, do it well. Amen? Do it well. 2 Timothy 2:19,

"A person who calls himself a Christian should not be doing things that are wrong." Come on. Now, there are two reasons why many people never come to Christ. Want to hear them? First, they never met a Christian. Second, they met one who was a Christian in name only. In other words, they met a hypocrite.

Folks, we have to rely on God's name completely in every aspect of your life. Why do we pray in Jesus' name? Anybody? It's got the power? Authority?

Listen, the reason we pray in Jesus' name is because we don't have any right to pray in our own merit. In of ourselves doesn't do anything. But if we use the name, it does, it changes things. Why do we baptize in Jesus' name? Anybody?

He told us to? Scripture says because there is salvation in no other name. Amen? Colossians 3:17 says, "And whatsoever ye do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God and the Father by Him." I say that about so many of these other people, folks, that don't apply the name in baptism. They'll pray for people in Jesus' name, they'll do all kinds of blessings in Jesus' name, and cast out demons in Jesus' name, but when it comes to baptism, then they don't want to be baptized in the name of Jesus. Why would that be?

Acts 4:12, "Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved." Only one name. Acts 2:38, "Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost." Stand with me. It's all in the name, folks. Amen? That's why Jesus is so particular about His name. Amen? That's where the power is.

Listen, husbands, when you marry your wife, you want her to take on the name. Why is that? matter to you. Anybody? Because that's just how they always did it, right?

You're starting a whole family. And names matter. How many are proud of your family and your name? Amen? There's some people that when you mention their name, you're like, "Oh dear Jesus, don't talk about us."

Come on now, we know that, right? But let me tell you, you're proud to have a wife carry your name. Why wouldn't the church want to carry the name? And that name we know is applied through what? Baptism.

Amen? It's applied through baptism. Praise the Lord. So we want the name of Jesus. It is important. It's a must. Do all in the name of Jesus. Amen? Don't leave out certain parts.

Do it all in the name of Jesus. Amen. God bless you, folks. Go get your drinks, whatever you need, and let's get back in here at 11:00 for a great worship service.