Phil. 2:10-11 That in the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those who are in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue should openly confess that Jesus Christ is Lord to the glory of God the Father.
The Name of the Lord Jesus
The name of the Lord Jesus is something special. It is something that the Lord did not have while He was on earth. Matthew 1 tells us that when the Lord Jesus was on earth, His name was Jesus. But Philippians 2 says that He became obedient even unto death and that the death of a cross, and therefore, God highly exalted Him and bestowed on Him the name which is above every name. What is this name? Philippians 2:10-11 says, “That in the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those who are in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue should openly confess that Jesus Christ is Lord to the glory of God the Father.” This name is “the name of Jesus.” He did not receive this name when He was on earth. After He ascended to heaven He received this name. He was already called Jesus when He was on earth. Through His obedience unto death on the cross, God exalted Him. In His exaltation, the name which is above every name was bestowed upon Him. The name which is above every name is “the name of Jesus.”
In the Name of the Lord Jesus
In the New Testament, not only do we see the name of Jesus; we also see one very peculiar expression: “in the name of Jesus.” If we do not know how to do things in the name of the Lord Jesus, we cannot even be a Christian. Hence, we have to see the meaning of being in the name of the Lord Jesus. Being in the name of the Lord Jesus is to partake of His name. It means that we can use this name. Brothers and sisters, we have to realize that this is the greatest thing committed to us from God and the Lord Jesus.
God’s Commitment
Why do we say that God has committed the name of Jesus to us? What does committed mean? God commissions us to preach the gospel; He commissions us to do a certain work, and He commissions us to go to a certain place and speak for Him. All these are what God has commissioned us to do. But the meaning of being in the name of the Lord Jesus does not refer to this kind of commission. Being in the name of the Lord Jesus means that God has committed His Son to us. God is not committing us to do a work; He has committed His Son to us. God is not charging us to go; He is charging us to take His Son with us. This is the meaning of being in the name of the Lord Jesus.
Suppose that after the Lord Jesus committed His name to our hand, we used it irresponsibly. What would happen? A man who occupies an important position needs only to put his seal to his order, and the order is executed. If he gives his seal to someone, he will have to be responsible every time the seal is used to issue an order. Do you think he can commit his seal to anyone easily? Of course he cannot. But the Lord Jesus has committed His name to us. The Lord’s name is a name that is above every name. He is willing to commit this name to you and me and allow us to use this name. Do we see the responsibility in committing His name to us? God trusts us and commits the Lord Jesus’ name to us. Whatever we do in His name, God will take responsibility for it. Brothers and sisters, what a tremendous thing this is! God will take responsibility for whatever we do in the name of the Lord Jesus!
The Lord Committing His Name to the Church
One characteristic of this age is that the Lord Jesus does not do anything directly. He has committed His work to the church. All the works of the Lord Jesus today are in the church. Today the church’s work is the Lord’s work. Hence, He has to take responsibility for everything the church does with His name.
On earth the church has no greater authority than the authority of doing things in the Lord Jesus’ name. The Lord has committed His name to the church. This is the greatest commitment because this name denotes Himself. Whatever you speak in the name of the Lord Jesus becomes what the Lord Himself speaks. Whatever you ask in the name of the Lord Jesus becomes what He asks. Whatever you decide in the name of the Lord Jesus becomes what the Lord decides. The church has the authority to speak in the name of the Lord. What a commitment God has given to the church!
We say that the church holds the key to the kingdom and is responsible for bringing in the kingdom. But without the name, the gate of the kingdom could not be opened. We say that God’s intention is for the church to bind up death through life and bind up Satan. Yet if we did not have this name or did not know how to use this name, there would be no way for us to accomplish these things. We have to see that the Lord Jesus has given this name to the church.
Only Those Who Stand on the Ground of Resurrection
Being Able to Use the Lord’s Name
The day must come when God breaks and destroys such a person by the cross. Only that which remains after the cross is resurrection. Resurrection is that which is not terminated through death; it is that which is not annihilated through death. Resurrection is what remains after a person is smitten by the Lord. Only those who stand on such a ground can exercise the Lord’s authority, and only they can use the Lord’s name. God assumes responsibility for those who stand on this ground, and He is behind them when they use the Lord’s name. Brothers and sisters, this is the greatest commitment in the whole world. God can commit His Son’s name to us and allow us to use this name as our own. This is too great a matter. God has to assume tremendous responsibility in this matter. This is, indeed, not a small matter. (The Prayer Ministry of the Church, msg. 3)
