Authority In The Name Series

Title: The Name of Jesus – 3

“Authority in the Name”

Text: Mark 16:17-19

Last week we started a series on the Name of Jesus. I am just going to do a quick review of what we learned last week before we get into this message this morning. In the first message we set the foundation of this entire series. We learned that Jesus inherited that Name when He rose up from the grave. We also learned that in order to truly understand the authority we have in His Name, we must know that Jesus not only faced physical death, but the worst death that He endured was that of spiritual death. Spiritual death means separation from God.

Sunday night, we began the message with Paul’s prayer to the Ephesians, which is for us also. His prayer is found in Ephesians 1:17-23. He prayed that the eyes of the people would be opened to the power that they possess in the Name of Jesus. He not only wanted the church of Ephesus to have a head knowledge of the power of God, but also a heart knowledge.

We ended last Sunday night with the victory of Jesus. I showed you in Scripture how Jesus made a public show of the devil. He met the devil and all his demons on his own turf and literally dethroned him from all powers and all authority that he ever possessed. The Bible says that Jesus stripped him of his weapons, of every thing that he had a paraded him up and down the halls of hell. No wonder the devil is afraid even at the mention of His Name. No wonder the devil runs every time that Name is mentioned.

This morning we are going to spend a few moments on the authority that there is in the Name of Jesus. When Jesus appeared to John on the isle of Patmos, He said in Revelation 1:18; “I am He that liveth, and was dead; and, behold, I am alive forevermore, Amen, and have the keys of hell and of death.”

The one who has the key is the authorized one. I have the key to every door in this church, not every one has access to all those keys. Unless you have been given some kind of authority that has been delegated by me, you don’t have those keys. The ones with keys are the ones with authority. Jesus is saying here, “I am the authorized One.” He has the authority over hell. It might be the place that the devil lives, but Jesus says, I am the One with the keys, I have authority over that place. He has the authority.

Just before He ascended to be seated at the highest place of authority known to man, Jesus said in Matthew 28:18-19; “All power (authority) is given unto me in heaven and in earth.” He immediately delegates His authority in the earth to the Church: “Go ye therefore…” Then He promises in:

Mark 16:17; “And these signs shall follow them that believe; IN MY NAME.” In My Name! In the Name of Jesus! He authorized us. He gave us His Name as the authority. The power is in the Name. The authority is in the Name. He gave us the Name that is recognized in three worlds, it is the Name that has authority in Heaven, on earth, and under the earth. That Name is the most powerful Name that will ever escape through your lips.

Angels, men and demons have to bow at that Name. That Name belongs to us. We are authorized to use that Name.

Jesus Himself commissioned us in Matthew 28 and Mark 16; Listen:

“All power (authority) is given unto me in heaven and in earth, Go ye therefore … And these signs shall follow them that believe; IN MY NAME shall they cast out devils, they shall speak with new tongues; They shall take up serpents; and if they drink any deadly thing, it shall not hurt them; they shall lay hands on the sick, and they shall recover.”

Some people like to believe that all these signs were for the early Church, but that could not be further from the truth. The Name of Jesus belongs to us today! Thank God, there is salvation in that Name, but it is more then just salvation. That Name still has all the power, all the majesty, all the glory and all the authority it ever did. Jesus has been lifted to the highest position of the universe, far above every known authority, every known principality, every known power, the Name stands for everything that Jesus is. It has been given to us.

The Church has been rich since its beginning. Yet, somewhere along the way we thought that we were being humble and started setting around singing; “Here I wonder like a beggar, through the heat and through the cold, or my favourite is; “Just build me a cabin in the corner of glory land.” That is not being humble, that is being ignorant. We have a rich inheritance and as long as you set around feeling sorry for yourself, set around thinking you are unworthy of God has for you, you will never receive the rich inheritance that Jesus wants to give you. You have His Name, which gives you access to everything that you need.