THE POWER IN THE NAME OF JESUS
August Series: “Past, Present and Future”
BTCC • August 22, 2004
Raise your hand if you’ve ever heard somebody get really mad and yell:
• “Buddha!”
• “Mohammed!”
• “Hare Krishna!”
• “Ron Hubbard!”
• “Shirley McClain!”
• “George Bush!”
• “John Kerry!”
• “Hitler!”
• “Saddam Hussein!”
• “Billy Graham!”
• “Mother Teresa!”
Raise your hand if you’ve ever heard somebody get really mad and yell:
• “Jesus!”
Why?
• Because when you’re as mad as you can get –
o You automatically reach for the most powerful name you can find to express the full extent of your anger
Is it a SIN to use the Name of Jesus as a curse word?
• Absolutely:
o The 3rd of God’s 10 Commandments says, “You shall not misuse the name of the LORD your God, for the LORD will not hold anyone guiltless who misuses his name.” Exodus 20:7
So why do so many people still DO it?
• Because “JESUS!” is the most powerful Name on earth
It is 100% WRONG to use the Name of Jesus as a curse word…
• But if you THINK about it…
o In reality – it’s a crude form of WORSHIP!
• The person who uses it is saying:
o “I’m really mad…
o “And I’ve gotta let it out –
o “Jesus, there is NOBODY like You!”
We’re going verse-by-verse through the Book of Romans
• Romans 9:30-33
o P. 802…Zchurch virtual Bible
WHO is the “stumbling stone” this passage is referring to?
• JESUS!
o In 1 Corinthians 1:22-24, Paul writes, “Jews demand miraculous signs and Greeks look for wisdom, but we preach Christ crucified: a stumbling block to Jews and foolishness to Gentiles, but to those whom God has called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God.
Why do people stumble over Jesus?
• People stumble over Jesus because…
Notes:
#1 – JESUS’ NAME IS ABOVE EVERY OTHER NAME
Philippians 2:9-11
“Therefore God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.”
John 14:14
“You may ask me for anything in my name, and I will do it.”
When they hear these verses from the Bible, some people get all huffy:
• “It’s not fair to OTHER RELIGIONS to say that”
But the truth is –
• The supremacy of Jesus’ Name is a statement of FACT
o “FAIRNESS” has nothing to do with it
• Let me show you what I mean
What is the largest animal on earth?
• Does anybody know?
IMAG 01 – Blue Whale and Calf
Sure! The BLUE WHALE!
• According to the Guinness Book of World Records:
o Newborn calves are 20-26 ft long and weigh up to 3 tons!
An adult whale can grow to a length of 115 feet and weigh more than 190 TONS!
IMAG 02 – Finding Nemo Blue Whale
Or as MILLIONS of us now think of them…
• Like THIS!
o The big old guy Dory called over when she was showing Marlin how to speak whale!
Kind of slowed them down for a bit when they were Finding Nemo!
What if somebody heard that and said, “That’s not FAIR to the guppy in my aquarium!”
• That would be a totally irrelevant objection, wouldn’t it?
o Why? Because we’re dealing with REALITY here – not political CORRECTNESS
• Even if every animal in the world got together and signed a PETITION it wouldn’t change the reality:
o The blue whale is BIGGER than every other animal on earth!
• Period!
Let’s go to birds –
• What’s the LARGEST LIVING BIRD on our planet?
IMAG 03 – North African Ostrich
Right again – it’s the NORTH AFRICAN OSTRICH
• Males of this sub-species have been measured up to 9 feet tall, weighing 345 pounds
o Contrary to popular folklore they do NOT hide their heads in the sand when they’re scared!
• Why? They don’t HAVE to!
o They’re the FASTEST bird on land – they’ve been clocked at 45 mph!
But what if some woman OBJECTED to the Guinness Book of World Records claiming that the Ostrich is the world’s biggest living bird?
• “Why that’s not fair to my PARAKEET!”
o Would she have a CASE?
• Could she sue the Guinness Book of World Records in COURT?
o Might be a little tough to find a LAWYER…
Even if she did, she couldn’t WIN could she?
• Why not?
o All the defense would have to do is hold up her parakeet…
• And then march in a North African Ostrich!
o Case dismissed!
It’s not a MATTER of fairness, is it?
• It’s just a statement of FACT
How many of you like HOT PEPPERS?
IMAG 04 – Assorted Peppers
So do I – but actually, not all peppers are hot!
• You knew that –
o Back in 1912, a US pharmacist by the name of Wilbur Scoville came up with a scientific way to measure the HOTNESS of peppers
So ever since, peppers have been measured in SHUs – or Scoville Heat Units
• A Bell pepper is 0 on this scale
• A Jalepeno is 3,500 – 4,000
• A Cayenne pepper measures 35,000
• The typical Tabasco ranges from 30,000-50,0000 Scoville Heat Units
But some pepper’s gotta be the hottest!
• According to the Guinness Book of World Records, that would have to be the –
IMAG 05 – Habaneros
HABANERO!
• The hottest of the Habaneros – the Red Savina – has been rated at 570,000 Scoville heat units!
o It’s been known to cause severe burns to the skin
It’s insane!
• We’re talking about a pepper that is more than 100 times hotter than a JALAPENO!
Do you know what the hottest PART of the pepper is?
• It’s not the skin or the flesh
o It’s not even the SEEDS – which a lot of people think
• It’s that WHITE STUFF inside –
o THAT’S where you’ll find the biggest concentration of capsaicin!
By the way –
• If you’re showing off for your girlfriend and take a bite of hot pepper that you can’t handle?
o Water doesn’t help, does it?
• Reason? The capsaicin is OIL-based!
o You want DAIRY products – try a big glass of milk or some yogurt
Some people say the acid of a TOMATO helps to cut it
END IMAG
Actually, Judy and the kids and I grew some peppers in our back yard this year…
• Oh, yeah!
o [sack]
• Some bell peppers and some banana peppers and some…
o Oops! – Habaneros!
Like I said…anybody here like HOT PEPPERS?
• Care to come up?
o I’ll share!
What if some guy said, “It’s not fair to JALAPENOS to claim that the Habanero is 100 times hotter!
• That would be an irrelevant statement, wouldn’t it?
o All you’d have to do is let him take a bite of them BOTH!
• It has nothing to do with FAIRNESS, does it?
o It’s just a FACT!
I’ve said all of that to say this:
• God Himself says the Name of Jesus is ABOVE every other name on earth
o He’s bigger, faster, HOTTER than anything else out there!
• To say that’s not fair to other RELIGIONS misses the point
o It’s just a statement of FACT
What IS there about this Name Jesus –
• That puts it above John and Bob and Mary and Jessica and Jack and Tanya and Stephen –
o And every other name on earth?
The Name “Jesus” can be translated several ways:
• “Yahweh is salvation”
• “Yeshua Savior”
• “Jehovah has become my salvation”
• Or simply, “God saves”
His VERY NAME declares His Divinity
• Jesus is God!
o THAT’S why His Name is above every other name!
In the MUSLIM religion – the prophet MOHAMMED never claimed to be God
• ASK the world’s 1.2 billion Muslims!
o He lived…he died – and that was it!
Hinduism HAS no recognized founder
• Ask the 900 million Hindus!
o There were just a bunch of assorted people like Shree Adi Shankara
Who lived…and died – and that was IT!
BUDDHA never claimed to be God
• Ask the world’s 350 million Buddhists!
o He lived…he died – and that was it!
CONFUCIOUS never claimed to be God
• Ask the 225 million followers of Chinese traditional religion…
o He lived…he died – and that was it!
Ah, but when you come to the Name of “JESUS!”
• Jesus said, “I tell you the truth…before Abraham was born, I AM!” (John 8:58)
o Ask His 2 billion followers around the world about HIM and they’ll TELL you:
He lived…the government killed Him…and He died –
• But that WASN’T it!
On the third day He DEFEATED death, hell and the grave and ROSE AGAIN!
• EXACTLY as He said He would!
o And the WORLD…
Has never been the same…
Jesus is the Name above every other name on earth
• It has nothing to do with fairness…
o It’s just a FACT.
Why ELSE do people stumble over Jesus?
• Because –
Notes:
#2 – JESUS SHATTERS THE STATUS QUO
Galatians 3:26-29
“You are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus, for all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ. There is neither Jew nor Greek, slave nor free, male nor female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus. If you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise.”
The DISENFRANCHISED people of the world LOVE Jesus –
• Because He affirms their God-given WORTH!
But around the world, many of those in POWER…HATE Jesus
• To them He is a STUMBLING STONE –
o Because He says, “The people you lead are worth just as much as YOU are!”
• Treat them with LOVE…and COMPASSION…and FAIRNESS…
o Or one day I’ll REMOVE you from power!
IMAG 06 – Dodge-Mercedes
Doesn’t matter what kind of CAR you drove to church this morning
• You may have coasted in on fumes in your 1983 Dodge station wagon
o You may have pulled right up next to a guy getting out of his brand-new Mercedes-Benz CL65 AMG
• But JESUS says when you step out of your car and he steps out of his
o You’re BROTHERS!
• And you have EQUAL VALUE in His Church
Women’s Equality Day is this coming Thursday, Aug 26th
• We’re celebrating the 19th Amendment to our Constitution –
o Women’s Right to Vote
Women around the world are STUNNED by the freedom and rights of American women
• Thanks to Jesus, women have a solid Biblical basis for their standing in society
o Look in your notes at the status quo-shattering words of Galatians 3:26-29 once again:
“You are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus, for all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ. There is neither Jew nor Greek, slave nor free, male nor female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus. If you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise.”
All the way back in the Book of Genesis – when women HAD no rights
• Story of Abraham going to God about Sarah
IMAG 07 – Women in Leadership Cover
Now, occasionally, you’ll run across a passage of Scripture that doesn’t seem to AGREE with Jesus’ honor of women…
• 7-week message series back in 1990s
o Tapes and CDs out in lobby today…
Time for one more:
• Why do people stumble over Jesus?
o Because –
Notes:
#3 – JESUS IS THE ONLY WAY TO HEAVEN
Acts 4:10-12
“Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom you crucified but whom God raised from the dead…is ‘the stone you builders rejected, which has become the capstone.’ Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to men by which we must be saved.”
John 14:6
“Jesus answered, ‘I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.’ ”
People just go LIVID over this one!
• They say, “It’s intolerant!”
But IS it?
• People confuse the admirable quality of tolerance for different points of view…
o With the ABSURD notion that every religion is equally VALID!
• It’s ONE thing to say that everyone has the right to his own opinion…
o But it requires you to disengage your BRAIN –
To insist that everybody’s opinion is RIGHT!
Should we be RESPECTFUL of the people who hold other views?
• Absolutely
Should we fight for their right to believe whatever they WANT to?
• Yes!
But with heaven and HELL at stake –
• At some point you have to put them all on a scale and examine their validity!
It’s one thing to be TOLERANT of somebody’s belief that 2 + 2 = 5
• It’s every person’s RIGHT to believe that 2 + 2 = 8!
But when it comes time to figure your TAXES…
• 2 + 2 had BETTER equal 4!
o And that’s a FACT!
People say things like,
• “Hey…just as long as your SINCERE…”
o But you can be sincerely WRONG!
Well-meaning but uninformed people say things like:
• “All religions say the same thing”
• “They’re all alike…”
• “It doesn’t MAKE any difference what you believe…”
But is that true?
• Absolutely not!
IMAG 08 – Hinduism
Hindus believe in 300,000 gods
IMAG 09 – Buddhism
Buddhists say there IS no such thing as “God”
IMAG 10 – Muslim women
Muslims believe in a powerful God who is detached and unapproachable
IMAG 11 – New Age Pyramid
New Age followers believe THEY are God!
END IMAG
Now, let me tell you about Jesus…
Back when I was a little kid, my mom was driving on an old, two-lane highway...
• Headed to youth camp with a car full of us kids, 65 mph
• Farmer blinded by the sun pulled out right in our path…mom swerved into the left lane, hit the shoulder, swerved back right, hit the shoulder, back and forth –
• We had no power steering on that old car – Mom said the wheel felt like it weighed a ton
• Her mom – my grandma Hornbeck – in the car at the same time, a one-word prayer: “Jesus! Jesus! Jesus! Jesus!”
• Made indelible impression on me – the powerful Name of JESUS!
Mom this week: “He saved our lives that day”
• And He’ll save YOURS, too…
Bow heads
NOTE: This week at the end of the message I call people up for membership/re-upping.
