Title: God’s Name & His Word
Theme: To show the importance of the name of the Lord and His word.
Text: 1 Samuel 17:40 – 49
1 Samuel 17:40-49 Then he took his staff in his hand; and he chose for himself five smooth stones from the brook, and put them in a shepherd's bag, in a pouch which he had, and his sling was in his hand. And he drew near to the Philistine. (41) So the Philistine came, and began drawing near to David, and the man who bore the shield went before him. (42) And when the Philistine looked about and saw David, he disdained him; for he was only a youth, ruddy and good-looking. (43) So the Philistine said to David, "Am I a dog, that you come to me with sticks?" And the Philistine cursed David by his gods. (44) And the Philistine said to David, "Come to me, and I will give your flesh to the birds of the air and the beasts of the field!" (45) Then David said to the Philistine, "You come to me with a sword, with a spear, and with a javelin. But I come to you in the name of the Lord of hosts, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied. (46) This day the Lord will deliver you into my hand, and I will strike you and take your head from you. And this day I will give the carcasses of the camp of the Philistines to the birds of the air and the wild beasts of the earth, that all the earth may know that there is a God in Israel. (47) Then all this assembly shall know that the Lord does not save with sword and spear; for the battle is the Lord's, and He will give you into our hands." (48) So it was, when the Philistine arose and came and drew near to meet David, that David hastened and ran toward the army to meet the Philistine. (49) Then David put his hand in his bag and took out a stone; and he slung it and struck the Philistine in his forehead, so that the stone sank into his forehead, and he fell on his face to the earth.
Introduction
We have been talking about 5 stones that David used in defeating the giant. We began with:
1) We have and Enemy but we have a God who is greater
2) We must have confidence in the God who is in us and know that there is a “cause” purpose
(45) Then David said to the Philistine, "You come to me with a sword, with a spear, and with a javelin. But I come to you in the name of the Lord of hosts, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied. (46) This day the Lord will deliver you into my hand, and I will strike you and take your head from you.
I. There is power in the name of the Lord
Proverbs 18:10 The name of the Lord is a strong tower; The righteous run to it and are safe.
The Name of the Lord signifies all that God is in himself—his attributes, his love, mercy, power, knowledge; which allow man to regard him as a sure Refuge. "Thou hast been a Shelter for me," says the psalmist (Psa_61:3), "and a strong Tower from the enemy." – Pulpit Commentary – Proverbs 18:10
SAFE - Original: ???? - Transliteration: Sagab - Phonetic: saw-gab'
- Definition:
1. to be high, be inaccessibly high
a. (Qal) 1. to be (too) high (for capture) 2. to be high (of prosperity)
b. (Niphal) 1. to be high 2. to be set on high, be (safely) set on high 3. to be exalted (of God)
c. (Piel) 1. to set on high, set (securely) on high 2. to exalt, exalt (in effective hostility) d. (Pual) to be set (securely) on high e. (Hiphil) to act exaltedly
God lifts us up above our problems and out enemy. It is by His name. This embodies a deep trust and faith in God when we use His name.
Rising above the storm. This means we don’t let the storm overtake us but we find our refuge in God.
Often times when we experience a storm we run to safety. As in last week we had at least 2 to 3 storms. What do we do? We find shelter. But when you are in a plane you fly higher.
In the Old Testament were introduced to God as Father. He leads Abraham and the nation of Israel. We learn of God the Spirit who broods over the water. But also this same Spirit would come upon people and they would be able to fulfill extra ordinary feats. Whether it was Judges and Samson, the prophets, the Kings who were anointed to lead or those who were anointed to fulfill the task of God.
In the New Testament we are introduced to the son. The Son of God, His name is Jesus. A name that
Philippians 2:8-11 And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross. (9) Therefore God also has highly exalted Him and given Him the name which is above every name, (10) that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those in heaven, and of those on earth, and of those under the earth, (11) and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.
This is not a magic formula but “KNOWING” the name of Jesus
There is power in the name of Jesus – extra notes
The Uniqueness of that Name
Jesus is what makes this name unique. Not just a name any more. This is no longer a common name. It is no longer a name that everybody has. It is a world renown and recognized name. For the remainder of this message I want to tell you how this name is so unique.
Jesus name reveal three main things about Him to us:
1. His presence – Matthew 18:20 Jesus guaranteed us his presence whenever we gather in his name.
2. His authority – Matthew 28:18-19, Phil2:9-11. The authority and power that a name carries depends on the bearer.
3. His achievement – Jesus is the savior Acts 4:12, He is the Christ Matthew 16:13-16, Romans 1:3-4
There is Salvation in the name of Jesus
There is no other name that will save you but the name of Jesus.
John 1:12 But as many as received him, to them he gave the right to become God’s children, to those who believe in his name.
Listen to Peter's words before the council
Act 4:7-13 And when they had set them in the midst, they asked, "By what power or by what name have you done this?" (8) Then Peter, filled with the Holy Spirit, said to them, "Rulers of the people and elders of Israel: (9) If we this day are judged for a good deed done to a helpless man, by what means he has been made well, (10) let it be known to you all, and to all the people of Israel, that by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom you crucified, whom God raised from the dead, by Him this man stands here before you whole. (11) This is the 'stone which was rejected by you builders, which has become the chief cornerstone.' [18] (12) Nor is there salvation in any other, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved." (13) Now when they saw the boldness of Peter and John, and perceived that they were uneducated and untrained men, they marveled. And they realized that they had been with Jesus.
Justified, Washed and Sanctified
Paul said in 1 Corinthians 6:11 And such were some of you. But you were washed, but you were sanctified, but you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus and by the Spirit of our God.
There is Life in the Name of Jesus
John says at the end of his Gospel 20:31 “But these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in His name”.
How can this name bring life? Revelation 1:18 explains that Jesus holds the keys to hell and death, Wow!-“I am he that lives and was dead; and, behold I am alive for evermore, Amen; and have the keys of hell and of death”.
The name of Jesus brings answered prayer
John 14:13 And whatever you ask in My name, that I will do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. 14 If you ask anything in My name, I will do it.
Being mindful of God's interests is the key to answered prayer.
Presence of the Lord at His name
Jesus takes it a step further when he talks about people gathering in His name.
Matthew 18:19-20 Again I say to you that if two of you agree on earth concerning anything that they ask, it will be done for them by My Father in heaven. (20) For where two or three are gathered together in My name, I am there in the midst of them."
This could be any where or any place. You get two or three people gathered in Jesus name and you put hell on notice. I am tired of Christians worried about, talking about, and as some would say, “going through” hell. Maybe it is time we put hell on notice. Maybe it is time that we quit talking about hell and Satan and they start talking about us, in the name of Jesus.
There is Authority in the Name of Jesus
Luke 10:17 Then the seventy returned with joy, saying, "Lord, even the demons are subject to us in Your name." (18) And He said to them, "I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven. (19) Behold, I give you the authority to trample on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy, and nothing shall by any means hurt you. (20) Nevertheless do not rejoice in this, that the spirits are subject to you, but rather rejoice because your names are written in heaven."
Let me just stop and tell you right here that when you start speaking that Name things happen:
Demons Flee at the name of Jesus
Mark 9:38 – 39 tells us that this is what the disciples saw.
Mark 9:38 39 John said to him, “Teacher, we saw someone who doesn’t follow us casting out demons in your name; and we forbade him, because he doesn’t follow us.” But Jesus said “Don’t forbid him, for there is no one who will do a mighty work in my name, and be able quickly to speak evil of me.
Then in Acts 16:18 we see it happen when Paul turned to the you girl , spoke the the demon and said,” I charge you in the name of Jesus Christ to come out of her!” It came out that very hour.
Healings happen at of Jesus
Ask the lame man who sat outside the temple
Act 3:6 Then Peter said, "Silver and gold I do not have, but what I do have I give you: In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, rise up and walk."
Peter said to those who gathered after the crippled man was healed, Chap 3 v 16 “By faith in the name of Jesus, this man whom you see and know was made strong. It is Jesus’ name and the faith that comes through him that has given this complete healing to him, as you can all see.”
Signs and wonders were done through the name of Jesus
Acts 4:30 by stretching out Your hand to heal, and that signs and wonders may be done through the name of Your holy Servant Jesus.
Now remember: "in the name of Jesus" isn't a formula.
Verse 30 is the end of a sentence that began in verse 29.
Acts 4:29 Now, Lord, look on their threats, and grant to Your servants that with all boldness they may speak Your word,
What were they doing? Representing His interests by preaching the Word of God.
And with that in mind, they could continue to represent His interests by asking for signs and wonders.
They weren't just asking for miracles so they could go home feeling all fuzzy inside - "Ooh, I heard the angels singing in the worship today."
That's nice, and I'm not knocking that - but if supernatural manifestations don't somehow work to the advantage of the Kingdom of God, it doesn't really matter if we never have them again.
The purpose of signs and wonders is to advance the Kingdom.
Let's look at what else Jesus' name can do.
The Power of that Name
John 14:13-14 And whatever you ask in My name, that I will do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. 14 If you ask anything in My name, I will do it
Conclusion
Challenge
Protect the Name of Jesus
“Whatever you do … do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus” (Colossians 3:17).
Believe in the Name of Jesus
Acts 10:43 All the prophets testify about him that through his name everyone who believes in him will receive remission of sins.
1Corinthians 6:11 Such were some of you, but you were washed. But you were sanctified. But you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus, and in the Spirit of our God.
Speak the Name of Jesus
Gather in the Name of Jesus
Matthew 18:19-20 Again I say to you that if two of you agree on earth concerning anything that they ask, it will be done for them by My Father in heaven. (20) For where two or three are gathered together in My name, I am there in the midst of them."
For extra notes on the name of Jesus see below
2) Power in God’s word
Heb 4:12 For the word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.
Living - Active
The word “living” (zon) is placed in the empathic position in the original language. The word of God is no dead letter, but as the word of the living God it cannot itself fail to be living. As the living word it continues through each age with compelling relevance. “Gipsy Smith told of a man who said he had received no inspiration from the Bible although he had “gone through it several times.” “Let it go through you once,” replied Smith, “then you will tell a different story!”
2 Timothy 3:16 All scripture is given by inspiration (God breathed, out of the very mouth of God) of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: 17 That the man of God may be perfect, throughly furnished unto all good works.
Isaiah 55:10-11 "For as the rain comes down, and the snow from heaven, And do not return there, But water the earth, And make it bring forth and bud, That it may give seed to the sower And bread to the eater, (11) So shall My word be that goes forth from My mouth; It shall not return to Me void, But it shall accomplish what I please, And it shall prosper in the thing for which I sent it.
Powerful “For the word of God is living and powerful.”
The word translated “powerful” (energes) is the word from which we get energy and energetic. The word literally means “at work.”
Charles Swindoll comments, “News articles may inform us. Novels may inspire us. Poetry may enrapture us. But only the living, active Word of God can transform us.”
[Charles Swindoll, p. 73]
Well, it is...living and active...and so when we read its words they reach out and touch the needs of our lives in an almost tangible way. Isaiah 55:11 describes scripture as being a living agent or messenger that God sends to touch our lives. Listen to what God says in this passage... " ....My word will not return to me empty, but will accomplish what I desire and achieve the purpose for which I sent it." So, unlike any other book, the Bible is living and powerful and…
"For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek" (Romans 1:16).
Sharper than any two-edged sword, - Penetrating - Separating
“two-edged” – two sides of the word – law and grace, justice and mercy, bitter and sweet,
piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow,
“… sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow…”
Like a sharp sword which can lay open the human body with one slashing blow, so the sword of the Scripture can open our inner life and expose it to ourselves and to others.
In the Roman world there were two distinctly different swords. There was the large sword, it was long, heavy and destructive. And there was a short sword (machaira), it was lightweight and double-edged and deadly because it cut both ways. This is what Peter used to cut off the ear of the servant of the High priest in the garden of Gethsemane on the night of Jesus’ arrest (Mark 14:47).
What the author is saying is that God’s Word can reach into the innermost recesses of our being! No heart is too tough and no soul is too dark. “When God wills it, his word can pierce anyone as a certain
Fourth, It is a Dividing Word
division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow…”
dividing soul from the flesh
Fifth, It is a Discerning Word (vv. 12d -13) The Word of God Is Not Only A Penetrating Word but… and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.
“…and is a discerner of the thoughts (mind and feeling, desire) and intents (intellect, what we think on, conceptions ideas) of the heart. (NLT “it exposes us for what we really are”) (13) And there is no creature hidden from His sight, but all things are naked and open to the eyes of Him to whom we must give account.”
From this passage I want us to glean three truths.
•God Sees Everything There Is No Escape.
We want God to see us when we are hurting and when we are going through difficult times. We want Him to see and come to our aid. But when it comes to our sin and wrongdoing we would rather that God looked the other way. But verse twelve concludes by saying that the Word of God “… is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.” The word “discerner” (kritikos) is the word from which we get critic. As the word of God penetrates into the innermost recesses of man’s being it does so as his critic or judge.
•God Sees Everything There Is No Hiding.
Only the Word of God is capable of exposing the thoughts and attitudes of a single human heart. There really is no use in hiding. Why is it when we fear that some-thing is not quite right physically we tend to put off going to the doctor because we fear we will hear bad news. The same is true spiritually.
Verse thirteen says that before God “all things are naked” or literally “laid bare.” The word (tetrachelismena) literally refers to bending someone’s neck backward so the face is looking upwards. It is a vivid term describing either the grip of a wrestler on the neck of his opponent or the grip on the neck of a sacrificial victim prepared for sacrifice. And sometimes it was used to describe how a man being led to execution had a knife placed beneath his chin so that he could not hang his head in shame and those avoid the gaze of the onlookers. Whatever the exact nature of the picture that is being drawn here it means that to be in the grip of an all powerful God is to be vulnerable, helpless and to have all our secrets known.
The Word of God possesses the diagnostic perception that picks up inconsistency even in motivation. With God we cannot smooth over with outward actions, the real intentions of our hearts. We may appear to be sincere to others but God knows if there is an ulterior motive.
•God Sees Everything There Is No Excuse.
The last part of verse thirteen says, all things are “… open to the eyes of Him to whom we must give account.” This verse plainly tells us that there is a coming day of reckoning upon which we will each give an account for our lives. The day of excuses will be over, the book of Romans tells us there is coming a time “when every mouth will be stopped” (Rom 3:19), there will be no more excuses. The Apostle Paul warns in 2 Cor. 5:10, “For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ that each may receive the things done in the body, according to what he has done, whether good or bad.”
2 Timothy 3:16 All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: 17 That the man of God may be perfect, throughly furnished unto all good works.
2Pe 1:19-21 NKJV And so we have the prophetic word confirmed, which you do well to heed as a light that shines in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts; (20) knowing this first, that no prophecy of Scripture is of any private interpretation, (21) for prophecy never came by the will of man, but holy men of God spoke as they were moved by the Holy Spirit.
(13) And there is no creature hidden from His sight, but all things are naked and open to the eyes of Him to whom we must give account.
Psalms 139:7-8 Where can I go from Your Spirit? Or where can I flee from Your presence? (8) If I ascend into heaven, You are there; If I make my bed in hell, behold, You are there.
Luke 4:1 Jesus rebuked the enemy with the word of the Lord
He came out victorious. He came out with purpose and a mission. He came out full of the Spirit of God to change the world.
Conclusion
If you are facing anxiety and depression the Lord says it is time to find a safe place. A place of hope and a place of peace. As I was preparing this morning the Lord said it is time to “cut the head off the enemy”. Not just knock it down.
I believe there are some that the Lord is calling you to fast and focus. To fast means to “give up” something for the Lord. For many this is food. For others this is social media. This is phones. I know one young girl who gave up coffee. She loved her Starbucks coffee. It was just recently that the Lord gave her a vision.
