In Him is where I want to be
By
Bishop Melvin L. Maughmer, Jr.
OPENING: - Today I want to teach on the phrase “In the name of Jesus” or “In my name” and what it truly means to be IN HIS NAME or IN HIM. It is not based upon the way we dress, talk, or act although those do influence a lot. It is not that we wear a cross or have a bumper sticker on the back of your car saying I am a child of God. It is not superstitiously saying in the name of Jesus like some kind of magical charm, nor is it holding to some strict moral code or attending church every time the doors are open.
PRAYER: -
SCRIPTURE: - John 14:13-14 & John 15:16 “And whatsoever ye shall ask in my name, that will I do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If ye shall ask anything in my name, I will do it” 15:16 “Ye have not chosen me, but I have chosen you, and ordained you, that ye should go and bring forth fruit, and that your fruit should remain: that whatsoever ye shall ask of the Father in my name, he may give it you”.
TEXT: - The older I get, the more I study, the more God reveals His word to me I come to realize that a lot of what we as Christians, Saints of God, the Church does is out of traditions, dogma, and superstitions that have either no purpose at all or the purpose has been misapplied, misinterpreted, and misunderstood through the years and now is literally ineffective because it is not properly understood and carried out in the right way. However, because of tradition and stubbornness prevailing we have splits, differences, and denominations that are based upon misunderstandings, misapplications, misinterpretations, and superstitions. We think we are being Spiritual in doing something a certain way but are in fact being traditionalist and superstitious and, in the process, miss being spiritual altogether.
Understand that following a list of do’s and don’ts, repeating a certain phrase, or refraining from certain activities and holding certain morales does not make you a spiritual person, going to church doesn’t make you a spiritual person. Understand being spiritual is not something that is achieved by doing something a certain way or saying a certain phrase but is being born again and effectively going on a progressive journey in Jesus Christ where we grow from faith to faith and glory to glory, from justification to sanctification and finally glorification in Christ Jesus.
CONFLICT: - Matthew 28:19 says, “Go ye therefore, and teach all nations baptizing them in the name of the Father, and the Son, and of the Holy Ghost”. Acts 2:38 says, “Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized everyone of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost”. WATCH THIS:- Because of misinterpretation, misunderstanding, traditionalism, and superstitions we have one group that says, “I’d rather do what Jesus said then what Peter said” and another group that says, “Well they don’t have it like we do because they don’t have the fulness of the name” and both believe that they are being spiritual because they believe and hold to a certain dogma. Dogma is a point of view or opinion put forth as authoritative without adequate proof and it becomes a superstitious tradition that is upheld and considered spiritual but because of its misapplication is ineffective. So, we hold to the fact that if we add in Jesus name at the end of the baptism or prayer that it establishes proper spirituality when in fact all it does is carry out traditionalism especially if the character has not been changed.
I hear this a lot from people on my job and it just does something on the inside of me. They will say something like that person is really getting on my last nerve Lord give me strength in the name of Jesus and think because they ended with in the name of Jesus that it now is given a certain standard and authority and that they are spiritual. Then continue to carry on in every aspect that is contrary to the Word and Will of God. If the character is not changed it is not spiritual it is superstition.
WATCH THIS: - Nowhere in the Bible will you find a prayer that ends with in the name of Jesus even though the very same scripture teaches you to prayer in Jesus’ name. May I also submit that ending a prayer with - in Jesus’ name - might not do anything at all for the effectiveness of the prayer, because the words that are spoken does not denote the authority of Jesus name. Saying in Jesus name is not a magic formula or spiritual incantation that will automatically cause God to answer a prayer and prove that you are spiritual because as the Bible says in James 4:3-4 “Ye ask, and receive not, because ye ask amiss, that ye may consume it upon your lusts. Ye adulterers and adulteresses, know ye not that the friendship of the world is enmity with God? whosoever therefore will be a friend of the world is the enemy of God”. The character has not been changed. The prayer is selfish – that ye may consume it upon your own lust and the character is adulterers and adulteresses – someone that married and I a relationship with someone but still messing around with someone else. So the character is not inn alignment and if the character is not in alignment then saying in Jesus name is not effective.
WATCH THIS:- If I yell to someone Stop in the name of the Law just because I said in the name of the Law does not have any effect, but if a police office in uniform says it because they are operating representing the law and all the law stands for says it becomes effective and has power and consequences because their character and everything about them portrays the law.
In Him is where I want to be.
LESSON: - SCRIPTURE: - John 14:13-14 & John 15:16 “And whatsoever ye shall ask in my name, that will I do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If ye shall ask anything in my name, I will do it” 15:16 “Ye have not chosen me, but I have chosen you, and ordained you, that ye should and bring forth fruit, and that your fruit should remain: that whatsoever ye shall ask of the Father in my name, he may give it you”.
So, what does it mean: - “In my name” or “in the name of Jesus”? First, we must understand that it is more than the words that come out of your mouth but is representing what the person in this case Jesus, stands for, the content of their character, and the substance of their authority. Everything He stands for is represented in my character and my actions.
Galatians 3:26-28 says, “For ye are all the children of God by faith in Christ Jesus. For as many of you as have been baptized into Christ have put on Christ. There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither bond nor free, there is neither male or female; for ye are all one in Christ Jesus”. Verse 27 is key for it says “Put on Christ” to put on Christ encompasses all that in my name or in the name of Jesus is.
To get a better understanding of “put on Christ” and what “in my name” truly means and why In Him is where I want to be we need to go back to the Old Testament.
In Genesis 27 Isaac is old and his eyes are dim, and he doesn’t know how much longer he has to live. So, he calls his eldest son Esau to him and says before he dies, he must give Esau his blessing, but before he does, he wants Esau to go hunt some venison and make him some savory meat and when he has eaten the savory meat he will bless him. Well Rebekah Isaac’s wife and the mother of Esau and Jacob heard what Isaac was going to do and because she loved Jacob more, she wanted Jacob to receive the blessing and not Esau. So, she called Jacob and said, “obey my words and kill two kid goats” she said, “I will cook the savory meat and then you give it to your father and then he will bless you”. Jacob instead of refusing was more concerned about getting caught said “Esau my brother is a hairy man, and I am a smooth man: my father peradventure will feel me and I shall seem a deceiver and will bring a curse upon me and not a blessing”. Rebekah said, “Upon me be thy curse obey my voice and go fetch me them”. Then she took “goodly raiment” that belonged to Esau. This goodly raiment was clothes that were used for special occasions like feast and celebrations, they contained Esau’s smell, they portrayed his character and style, then she took the hair of the goats and put them on Jacob’s hands and the smooth of his neck and the goodly raiment on Jacob gave him the savory meat she made and sent him into Isaac.
When Jacob went to Isaac and said he was there with the savory meat Isaac said you sound like Jacob come here and kiss me and when Jacob kissed his father Isaac smelled him and felt his hands and neck. He said you sound like Jacob but you feel and smell like Esau and he blessed him. Jacob received the blessing of his elder brother in his brother’s name because he put on Esau – not just his clothes but his essences.
Let me break this down and try to make it a little easier. When we come to the New Testament in the book of Ephesians 6 Paul says put on the whole armour of God. He says having your loins girt about with truth and the breastplate of righteousness and your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace. Now understand we don’t put on natural armour but WATCH THIS:- having our loins girt about with truth – Jesus said “I am the way the TRUTH and the life” so having our loins girt with truth is Jesus.
the breastplate of righteousness 1 Corinthians 1:30 says, “But of him are ye in Christ Jesus who of God is made unto us wisdom, and righteousness, and sanctification, and redemption” so Jesus is our Righteousness – so the breastplate we put on is Jesus.
“Having your feet shod with the gospel of peace” Ephesians 2:13-14 says, “But now in Christ Jesus ye who were far off are made nigh by the blood of Christ. For he is our peace..”. Having our feet shod with the gospel of peace is Jesus we walk like He walked, our feet aren’t quick to mischief but my steps are ordered by the Lord.
“Above all taking the shield of faith” WATCH THIS: - another word for Faith is Hope one song writer said it like this “My Hope (faith) is built on nothing less than Jesus Christ and righteousness. Jesus is our shield of faith that quenches all the fiery darts.
“And take the helmet of salvation” Hebrews 2:10 says, “For it became him, for whom are all things, and by whom are all things, in bringing many sons unto glory, to make the captain of their salvation perfect through sufferings”. Jesus is our salvation, when I put on the helmet of salvation which is Jesus Christ, I obtain the mind of Christ and fulfill Philippians 2:5 “Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus”.
“and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God” John 1:1&14 says, “In the beginning was the Word and the Word was with God and the Word was God. And the Word was made flesh and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father) full of grace and truth” this is the Logos, the Word that became flesh Jesus Christ. So, when we put on the whole armour of God, we have put on Christ like Galatians 3:27 said now I am in uniform, I am in Christ, I am in alignment, my life portrays Jesus Christ, my character portrays Jesus Christ, I walk like Christ, I talk like Christ, I act like Jesus Christ I am representing Jesus Christ (like the police officer).
Now that I have put on Jesus Christ, now that I am in Him like Galatians 3:26 says we are “the children of God by faith in Christ Jesus”. WATCH THIS: - Romans 8:29 says, “For whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren”. Jesus is my elder brother and now that I have put on Christ, my character is like him, everything about me is like him I am covered in him, I am wrapped in him, I am in his image for in Him I live, move and have my being. Now I can come to the Father in His name NOT WITH JUST SAYING IN HIS NAME, but IN HIS NAME and whatsoever I ask IN HIS NAME it will be done so that the Father may be glorified.
Until we put on Christ until we are IN HIM the Bible says in Romans 3:10-12 says, “As it is written, There is none righteous, no not one: There is none that understandeth, there is none that seeketh after God. They are all gone out of the way, they are together become unprofitable; there is none that doeth good, no not one” meaning that our natural state and condition is enmity against God, that our righteousness, our traditions our superstitions will not bring us close to God. But when we are in Him God no longer sees our imperfections, He no longer sees sin, He sees the Righteousness of His own son for we who were far off are now able to draw nigh to Him through the blood of Jesus Christ and He remembers our iniquities anymore.
CLOSING: - To be IN HIM – In JESUS CHRIST is to be different from the world. It is not based upon the way we dress, talk, or act although those do influence a lot. It is not that we wear a cross or have a bumper sticker on the back of your car saying I am a child of God. It is not superstitiously saying in the name of Jesus like some kind of magical charm, nor is it holding to some strict moral code or attending church every time the doors are open. To be IN HIM is to dwell in Him and He dwells in us. He is the source of every aspect of our lives and everything that we do. Being IN HIM means His peace rules our hearts and His power is made perfect in our weakness. To be IN HIM is true fulfillment satisfying all our needs according to His riches in glory. To be IN HIM is to be transformed by the renewing of our mind, to be a new creature, to having died to the world and made alive IN HIM. To be IN HIM is to be in relationship with Him, to be an heir of God and a joint heir with Jesus Christ.
Because I am in HIM, because I am In Jesus Christ. God sees me not as sin but has the Righteousness of Jesus Christ, His handiwork, as a chosen on. He sees me as dead to sin He sees me as dead to sin, He sees me as a royal priesthood, as part of His flock.
So often you hear people say I want to be in Heaven, but the Bible says in Matthew 24:35 “Heaven and earth shall pass away, but My words shall not pass away”. Jesus is His Word, the Logos so IN HIM IS WHERE I WANT TO BE.
Bishop Melvin L. Maughmer, Jr.
