With / In - Part 6
November 26th 2023,
Galatians 2:20 (NASB) - I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.
And one more KEY scripture that we haven’t studied a ton but that really illustrates the principle of being IN CHRIST…
Romans 8:1-2 (NASB) - 1 Therefore there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. 2 For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has set you free from the law of sin and of death.
WITH means “unified, unity, along side, having the same experience…” IN means “position, instrumentation, rights & facts that we have/own” Then last week we got really deep into what it means to “ABIDE IN CHRIST”...
John 15:5 5 I am the vine, you are the branches; he who abides in Me and I in him, he bears much fruit, for apart from Me you can do nothing.
We can’t produce our OWN fruit…we only produce the kind of fruit that comes from the nutrients of the Vine. But when we ABIDE IN CHRIST, we produce fruit… Jesus says here in John 15, “much fruit”.
It’s the word “menō” means to CONTINUE, DWELL, ENDURE, REMAIN, STAND, TARRY, LINGER.
I’ll remind you that this study really is about the Principle of Position: you are IN Christ, that’s your POSITION. This means that you ARE what God says you are, you can DO what God says you can do. You are IN Christ because God has placed you IN Him. Your REBIRTH as a believer is IN the Vine, Jesus. There’s no such thing as a branch growing off on its own apart from the Vine. Just as the branch has been born IN the vine, so you & I have been reborn IN Christ. God did it… it’s a work of grace through faith… Ephesians 2:8 For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; 9 not as a result of works, so that no one may boast 10 For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, – For FRUIT…
And then I feel we really hit a nerve last week with the passage from John 14 and we’re going to start there tonight & camp out on a new facet of what it means to be IN CHRIST… to ABIDE IN CHRIST… and let the Word teach us.
John 14:10-17 10 Do you not believe that I am in the Father, and the Father is in Me?
See here, even JESUS is IN the Father and the Father is IN Him… and then in chapt 15 that we’ve already quoted, Jesus says “he who abides in Me and I in him”
The words that I say to you I do not speak on My own initiative, but the Father abiding in Me does His works. 11 Believe Me that I am in the Father and the Father is in Me; otherwise believe because of the works themselves. 12 Truly, truly, I say to you, he who believes in Me, the works that I do, he will do also; and greater works than these he will do; because I go to the Father. 13 Whatever you ask in My name, that will I do, so that the Father may be glorified in the Son. 14 If you ask Me anything in My name, I will do it.
Tonight we’re asking the question, “What’s IN His name?”
V13 “13 Whatever you ask in My name, that will I do, so that the Father may be glorified in the Son. 14 If you ask Me anything in My name, I will do it.”
We talked last week on a short detour from the notes about this passage. This isn’t a name-it, claim-it or a vending machine Gospel… it’s about asking “what’s IN His name”. We talked briefly last week about the fact that, to me, this scripture is very clearly saying that we can have what we ask for WHEN it’s IN THE NAME of Jesus. We shouldn’t be just saying THE WORDS, “in the Name of Jesus…” and expect to get what we pray for, but we should be seeking to find if what we’re asking for is truly found IN HIS NAME.
So I struggled a bit to narrow down a few good preacher points of what we can FIND and ASK FOR that is IN THE NAME of Jesus… So instead of me ‘preaching’ a list, YOU are going to make the list… we’re going to read lots of scripture and YOU can make the list!
Phil 2:9-11 (NASB) 9 For this reason also, God highly exalted Him, and bestowed on Him the name which is above every name, 10 so that at the name of Jesus every knee will bow, of those who are in heaven and on earth and under the earth, 11 and that every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. “Power of authority”
It’s possible that this seems a bit trite because the Christian community has used that phrase but tonight we need to hear it in light of the scripture we’re reading. Jesus said, “If you ask Me anything in My name, I will do it.” and Philippians said “at the name of Jesus every knee will bow… and that every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord…”
– In Acts 3 Peter & John saw the lame man at the Gate called Beautiful asking for alms & look at Acts 3:6 - 6 But Peter said, “I do not possess silver and gold, but what I do have I give to you: In the name of Jesus Christ the Nazarene—walk!” “POWER TO HEAL”
Then in Acts 4, Peter & John are dragged before the leaders because they healed a man, and look at what Peter says,
Acts 4:10-12 (NASB) - 10 let it be known to all of you and to all the people of Israel, that by the name of Jesus Christ the Nazarene, whom you crucified, whom God raised from the dead—by this name this man stands here before you in good health. “POWER TO HEAL”
And not only power to heal… but keep reading…
Acts 4:11-12 – 11 He is the stone which was rejected by you, the builders, but which became the chief corner stone. 12 And there is salvation in no one else; for there is no other name under heaven that has been given among men by which we must be saved.” ”Power for SALVATION.”
Peter had already talked about this power for salvation in Acts 2 – And Peter said to them, “Repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. ”Power for FORGIVENESS.”
Then 1 John COMBINES the power of salvation with even more…
1 John 5:13-15 (NASB) 13 These things I have written to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, so that you may know that you have eternal life. 14 This is the confidence which we have before Him, that, if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us. 15 And if we know that He hears us in whatever we ask, we know that we have the requests which we have asked from Him. “Power of Answered prayer” “power of eternal life”
This is even more proof that we’re told to “ask according to His will!”... not just ask randomly believing that we’ll receive. This speaks volumes about the way that we pray
John 16:23-24 ~ 23 “In that day you will ask nothing of me. Truly, truly, I say to you, whatever you ask of the Father in my name, he will give it to you. 24 Until now you have asked nothing in my name. Ask, and you will receive, that your joy may be full."
Mark 11:24 ~ "Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours."
John 16 differentiates between asking Jesus directly and asking the Father “In Jesus’ Name”...
And let’s keep going
Matthew 18:18-20 (NASB) 18 “Truly I tell you, whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven. 19 Again, truly I tell you that if two of you on earth agree about anything they ask for, it will be done for them by my Father in heaven. 20 For where two or three gather in my name, there am I with them.”
Then Jesus demonstrated this principle in Luke 10
10 After this the Lord appointed seventy-two others and sent them two by two ahead of him to every town and place where he was about to go. 2 He told them, “The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few. Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field. 3 Go! I am sending you out like lambs among wolves. 4 Do not take a purse or bag or sandals; and do not greet anyone on the road.
…
16 “Whoever listens to you listens to me; whoever rejects you rejects me; but whoever rejects me rejects him who sent me.”
17 The seventy-two returned with joy and said, “Lord, even the demons submit to us in your name.”
How about some OT?
Psalm 5:11 (NIV)
11 But let all who take refuge in you be glad;
let them ever sing for joy.
Spread your protection over them,
that those who love your name may rejoice in you.
Ezekiel 20:9 (NIV)
9 But for the sake of my name, I brought them out of Egypt. I did it to keep my name from being profaned in the eyes of the nations among whom they lived and in whose sight I had revealed myself to the Israelites.
Mark 16:17 These signs will accompany those who have believed: in My name they will cast out demons, they will speak with new tongues; 18 they will pick up serpents, and if they drink any deadly poison, it will not hurt them; they will lay hands on the sick, and they will recover.”
Also we’re commanded……
Colossians 3:17 (NASB) - 17 Whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks through Him to God the Father.
Colossians goes as far as saying “WHATEVER you do… do it in Jesus’ name.