In Jesus Name

Prayer Series Part 7- In Jesus’ name

Why do we have to mention Jesus’ name when we pray?

Is that what the Bible told us to do? Is that the way and the truth to acknowledge Son’s work?

To whom are we to pray, the Father, the Son, or the Holy Spirit? John 14:13-14 where Prayer in Jesus’ name has been mentioned. “And I will do whatever you ask in my name, so that the Son may bring glory to the Father. You may ask me for anything in my name, and I will do it.” Some treat this verse as a guarantee of granted request, thinking that saying “in Jesus’ name” at the beginning of Prayer and, most of the time, in the end, will result in God granting the favor being asked. This may seem to be like an assurance of an answered prayer. However, treating the words “in Jesus’ name” as the key to answered Prayer is unbiblical.

(Go back to read Part 6: House of Prayer)

When we pray using the name of Jesus, we pray with His authority and ask God the Father to act upon it because we come in the name of His Son, Jesus, thus giving the Father no choice but to grant the request. Is that the way it works?

We cannot dictate to God to give us what we want by praying in Jesus’ name. God answers Prayer according to His will, his time, and in conjunction with the purity of the heart of those who ask. Therefore, praying to anyone or anything other than God is idolatry.

“I am the LORD; that is my name! I will not give my glory to another or my praise to idols” (Isaiah 42:8). It is also very clearly stated in Isaiah 48:11 that the LORD’s name is sacred “For my own sake, I do it, for how my name should be profaned? My glory I will not give to another”

“This is the confidence we have in approaching God: if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us. And if we know that he hears us—whatever we ask—we know that we have what we asked of him.” (1 John 5:14-15).

Praying in Jesus’ name means praying for things that will honor and glorify Jesus.

Saying “in Jesus’ name” from the beginning or at the end of a prayer is not a supernatural command but for everyone’s convictions. Lord’s Prayer does not suggest attaching his name to the Prayer he taught his disciples. If what we ask for or say in Prayer is not for God’s glory and according to His will, saying “in Jesus’ name” is with no effect and will not be charged to you or will be a burden for your Prayer not to be heard by the Father. Jesus himself said that “whatever the Father gave him in no way he will reject.”

What is essential and acceptable is a pure and genuine prayer acknowledging Jesus’ name as the Son of God who is faithful to finish the mission he was assigned to do and to the Father for all His love to His children, faithful to his word and His will to be with us forever.

His glory is essential, not attaching certain words from the start or to the end of a prayer. It is not the words in the Prayer that only serve as a flavor that matters, but the purpose and truthfulness behind it. Praying for things that are consistent with God’s will is the essence of praying in Jesus’ name and not in any way taking the glory of God.

Praying in the name of Jesus is praying with His authority to ask the Father to act upon our prayers because we come in the name of the Son. It also means that we are exercising the authority to believe that Jesus is the same yesterday, today, and forever. Therefore, do not be carried away by strange teachings, for it is good for the heart to be strengthened by grace and not by foods of no value to those devoted to them” Hebrew 13:8-9.

The same thing as we pray following the will of God. Our confidence with the assurance that guarantees that our Prayer meets the standard of God, never overdoing nor underdoing it, just about right to be humble in the eyes of God.

“This is the confidence we have in approaching God: if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us. And if we know that he hears us—whatever we ask—we know that we have what we asked of him” (1 John 5:14-15).

We should pray for others, as well as for ourselves, to recover from the fallen state, as well as to be released from temptations and afflictions, and be thankful that the Spirit of true repentance overcomes death.
Praying in Jesus’ name is praying for things that will honor and glorify Jesus, notwithstanding taking the sovereignty of the Father.

“For great is the LORD and greatly to be praised; He is to be feared above all gods.” God will not give His glory, especially to idols. Unfortunately, many people today exchanged the truth about God for a lie and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator.

If it is intentionally worded to bend the truth, then it is a sin of lying; it is their worldly desire for their profitable gain. They invented and twisted everything to make a luxurious living at the expense of those people who submitted to their lies. Maybe this person doesn’t even believe that there are consequences or doesn’t even care to be a part of what they preach about life after death.

“Thou shalt not use God’s name in vain” could also mean not using God’s name for personal gain.
Will I not give – I will not allow it to ascribe to another; I will not allow another to assume or receive the honor which is due to me; Says the LORD.

Isaiah 48:11—For my own sake, for my own sake, I do it, for how should my name be profaned? My glory I will not give to another. Isaiah 42:8—I am the Lord; that is my name; my glory I give to no other, nor my praise to carved idols. Those are the word of God.

Many believers have already made up their mind about Jesus; Many said that he is the Creator, some said that the Father and the Son is just one person, and many even sold books that Jesus can be seen in the Old Testament, that Jesus is the one that helps the Israelites in Egypt. In addition, there are many stories about Jesus pointing out that he is God to be glorified and that without him, there will be no salvation.

The Son himself said not to worship him, and many Scriptures attested to that: Exodus 34:14 (for you shall worship no other god, for the Lord, whose name is Jealous, is a jealous God), Exodus 20:1-3

And God spoke all these words, saying, “I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery. “You shall have no other gods before me.
Matthew 4:10

Then Jesus said to him, “Begone, Satan! For it is written, “‘You shall worship the Lord your God, and he only shall you serve.'” Romans 12:1

I appeal to you, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. John 4:24 God is Spirit, and those who worship him must worship in Spirit and truth.” Revelation 15:4

The testimony of Jesus Christ “Who will not fear, O Lord, and glorify your name? For you alone are holy. All nations will worship you, for your righteous acts have been revealed.”

We must be aware that every word that comes out of our mouths speaks the truth “By the sins of their mouths and the words of their lips, let them be trapped in their pride, in the curses and lies they utter.” Psalms 59:12.

We can reach the highest peak of the highest mountain, and still, the LORD is above all. “May they know that You, whose name is the LORD, are Most High over all the earth?” Psalm 83:18.

God is so great that He cannot be compared or measured with anything with anyone else (Psalm 71:19). His existence has to be acknowledged by His creations since He is the Creator of everything that exists and superior to them all. Every breath that we take, every space we occupy, and every time that we use belongs to Him. He is more significant than our imagination can make.

God is Omnipotence which means God is all-powerful; Omniscience means God is all-knowing, God knows everything; He is Omnipresence means God is everywhere simultaneously. He is the essence of all things; nothing will exist without Him. He cannot be under pressure to answer our request and cannot be confined to control His movement; He is all-powerful. We live in His space, and that alone is worth being thankful for. His wisdom is more significant than those who benefitted from Him and think they are now wiser than Him. It is foolish to say we are strong when we are weak in many things and helpless without Him.

How can we say we are strong when we depend only on His strength? How can we say we have a great mind when our minds are still under siege by liars, deceivers, and tempters? They can do evil things but only do it under limited space and time. We can stop it any time with the help of the Holy Spirit, and we are not doing it because somebody in a high place will do it. We have the LORD, our stronghold and our rock of refuge— Psalm 94:22.

We are in the age of the kingdoms, and it is foolish this time not to recognize the true meaning of the word of God, His will that we have to obey, His plan to continue a good fight of faith, and His purpose to be with Him through eternity. We should avoid doing foolish things by condoning those who think themselves better than others. (Isaiah 40:13; 1 Corinthians 1:27).

He is infinite and yet reachable, He has no time, and yet He communicates with our time, and we do not see Him, and yet you can feel His presence. Therefore, we should let the space in our heart belongs to Him alone and no one else in words or kind (Psalm 90:2).

Let God’s greatness echo throughout the world day in and day out until the wicked submit themselves before they vanish in the face of the earth and there is no coming back. From lifeless souls to living souls, from innocence to a learned conscience, too many lost souls who are dead to sin, waiting for the body to be born anew. God of all glory, Father of all creations, maker of heavens and earth, will have all ears to listen to the testimony of our conscience and eventually look into our hearts, and justice for all comes next.

Why do we have to mention Jesus’ name when offering God sacrificial praise? Is it the way and the truth to acknowledge Son’s work? “Through him then let us continually offer up a sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of lips that acknowledge his name”–Hebrews 13:15. “And again, when he brings the firstborn into the world, he says, “Let all God’s angels worship him”–Hebrews 1:6. “And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.” Colossians 3:17. God is not pleased with the sacrifice offering. Thanking Him for Son’s job well done is more appropriate.

1 Timothy 3:16  Great indeed, we confess, is the mystery of godliness: He was manifested in the flesh, vindicated by the Spirit, seen by angels, proclaimed among the nations, believed on in the world, taken up in glory.

Philippians 2:9-11 Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name so 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. At the end of our Prayer, we can acknowledge the Trinity—In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and the Holy Spirit.  

God’s desire is our goodness, not sacrifice; Obedience to Him, rather than burnt offerings. Repentance from our hearts before God when we have fallen. We need to understand when we fall, great or small, we need to go to Him for mercy. The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit, a broken and contrite heart, O God; you will not despise. Psalm 51:17

“Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit-Matthew 28:19 “That the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory may give you a spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of Him.” Ephesians 1:17 “The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit, be with you all.” 2 Corinthians 13:14 According to the foreknowledge of God the Father, by the sanctifying work of the Spirit, to obey Jesus Christ and be sprinkled with His blood: may grace and peace be yours in the fullest measure. 1 Peter 1:2 “But you, beloved, building yourselves up on your most holy faith, praying in the Holy Spirit,’ ‘keep yourselves in the love of God, waiting anxiously for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ to eternal life.” Jude 20–21 (NASB)

God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. John 3:16.

At the end of the service, we close it with Prayer, and the name of our Lord Jesus Christ will be mentioned to give honor and acknowledgment of all the things He has done for our salvation, his love, and care. Sometimes we misunderstand the Prayer when it ends in Jesus’ name only. Those made many think that the name of the Father has been omitted.

As it is written, “Do not worship any other god, for the LORD, whose name is Jealous, is a jealous God.” However, we should not interpret it the wrong way; Jesus himself will neither usurp the authority of the Father nor transgress His command.

Instead, we should treat his name with respect and thank him for being our savior and eldest brother. Will not be considered to be worshipping him. Jesus brought us into the knowledge and understanding of the Father. Through Him, we know the Father, and reconciliation happens through Him.

We should be delighted as the Father proclaim His delighted with Jesus, And a voice from heaven said, “This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased!” Matthew 3:17 We must be clear in our closing prayer that the hearer understands that the Father is still the center of our service, so it may not sound like we are taking away the power and glory that belongs only to Him. Exodus 34:14(NLT) “You must worship no other gods, for the LORD, whose very name is Jealous, is a God who is jealous about his relationship with you.” Isaiah 42:8 (NLT) “I am the LORD; that is my name! I will not give my glory to anyone or share my praise with carved idols.

Jesus said that no one could come to the Father except through him. This word of Jesus shows the authority he has most probably allowed by the Father in conjunction with his mission here on earth. Furthermore, Jesus is an obedient son to the Father, so there is no transgression.

In 1 Corinthians 15:28, Paul wrote:  For “God(Father) has put all things in subjection under his (Jesus) feet.” But when it says, “All things are put in subjection,” it is plain that this does not include the One (Father) who put all things in subjection under him (Jesus).

When all things are subjected to Him(Jesus), then the Son Himself will also be subjected to the One(Father) who put all things in subjection under Him(Jesus) so that God(Father) may be all in all—1Corinthians 15:28. (Emphasis mine)The steadfast love of the LORD never ceases; his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness— Lamentations 3:22-23 (ESV)

To God be the glory

Coming soon – Many believe in the coming of the Son as 2nd coming. Do you still believe he is coming or was he with us a long time ago? Who is coming on judgment day, and who will be the witness? Did you try to seek the face of God? How much do you know God?

Do you know who Jesus Christ is? Is he Immanuel? Or is he Adam? Are these three names pointing to one? Who is the third person in the Trinity? Why is Trinity part of the Christian doctrine when it is not visibly written in the Bible? Where is the Trinity in the Bible?

Pray and believe that the truth will not come out void.  

Read from the beginning. Prayer Series Introduction

Part 1: Power of Prayers 

Part 2: An Act of Obedience

Part 3: Act of Submission and Dependency

Part 4: Posture in Praying

Part 5: Answered Prayer 

Part 6: House of Prayer

Part 7: In Jesus’ Name