Power of the Name

I was reading the prayer of Jesus for His Disciples in John 17:6-15 and was reminded of the Power of His name. 

Jesus Prays for His Disciples

“I have revealed you to those whom you gave me out of the world. They were yours; you gave them to me and they have obeyed your word. Now they know that everything you have given me comes from you. For I gave them the words you gave me and they accepted them. They knew with certainty that I came from you, and they believed that you sent me. I pray for them. I am not praying for the world, but for those you have given me, for they are yours. All I have is yours, and all you have is mine. And glory has come to me through them.  I will remain in the world no longer, but they are still in the world, and I am coming to you. Holy Father,  protect them by the power of your name, the name you gave me,  so that they may be one as we are one.  While I was with them, I protected them and kept them safe by that name you gave me. None has been lost except the one doomed to destruction so that Scripture would be fulfilled.

“I am coming to you now, but I say these things while I am still in the world, so that they may have the full measure of my joy within them.   I have given them your word and the world has hated them, for they are not of the world any more than I am of the world. My prayer is not that you take them out of the world but that you protect them from the evil one."

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And then a great song came to my mind!!  Hope you are blessed. If you have a chance, give a listen!!

   http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=84LSLk3hfD4

Getting to know Him...

Let me make a few introductions....
 
Isaiah foretold, "The Lord himself will give you a sign; The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and will call him Immanuel."  Isaiah 7:14

Matthew wrote that the coming birth of Jesus will, "... fulfill what the Lord had said through the prophet [Isaiah]; The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel - which means, 'God with us." Matthew 1:22-23

Jesus said as he looked toward heaven and prayed, "Father, the time has come, Glorify your Son, that your Son may glorify you. For you granted him authority over all people that he might give eternal life to all those you have given him. Now this is eternal life; that they may know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, the One whom you have sent." John 17:1-3

John writes in Revelation, "The revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave him to show his servants what must soon take place. He made it known by sending his angel to his servant John, who testifies to everything he saw-that is, the word of God and the testimony of Jesus Chris." Revelation 1:1-2

His name is the Word of God

Yesterday we learned about the Judge of our last days. We read that God will judge us based on the words of Jesus. Jesus said, "...the one who rejects me and does not accept my words, that very word which I spoke will condemn him at the last day."  Let's get a little closer look today of that warning.

"I saw heaven standing open and there before me was a white horse, whose rider is called Faithful and True.  With justice he judges and makes war.  His eyes are like blazing fire, and on his head are many crowns.  He is dressed in a robe dipped in blood, and his name is the WORD OF GOD." Revelation 18:11-12

The actual judge of our salvation is the Word of God.  What have you done with the complete counsel of the Word of God?

We are reminded in Isaiah 66:1-2 that this is what the LORD says about what He esteems,

"Heaven is my throne, and the earth is my footstool.  

Where is the house you will build for me? 

Where will my resting place be?

Has not my hand made all these things, and so they came into being?

This is the one I esteem;

he who is humble and contrite in spirit, 

and trembles at my word."

The very word Jesus spoke...

Jesus said, *"I have come into the world as light, so that no one who believes in me should stay in darkness. As for the person who hears my words but does not keep them, I do not judge him.  For I did not come to judge the world, but to save it. There is a judge for the one who rejects me and does not accept my words; that very word which I spoke will condemn him at the last day. "For I did not speak of my own accord, but the Father who sent me commanded me what to say and how to say it.  I know that His command leads to eternal life. So whatever I say is just what the Father has told me to say."

Wow!

Jesus spoke and his words were recorded by those who walked with him 2000 years ago.  He warns us that he isn't the judge, but God the Father will judge on the last day.  AND, we are judged by the words Jesus spoke to us.  And He speaks to us today by reading the words of the bible, by hearing of his word in spiritual songs, and by listening to a pastor or priest preach out of the bible.  We are judged at the last day by those words in which we were in front of at some time in our life.  It begs to ask, what have you done or believed with the words you have heard about Jesus?

A passage in the book of Revelation (a recorded document of the last days to come) says;

**"Then I heard what sounded like a great multitude, like the roar of rushing waters and like loud peals of thunder, shouting:

"Hallelujah!

For our Lord God Almighty reigns. 

Let us rejoice and be glad and give him glory!

For the wedding of the Lamb has come, and his bride has made herself ready..."

Then the angel said to me, "Write Blessed are those who are invited to the wedding supper of the Lamb!" And he added, "These are the true words of God." At this I [John] fell at his feet to worship him [the angel]. But he said to me, "DO NOT DO IT!! I am a fellow servant with you and with your brothers who hold to the testimony of JESUS! Worship God! For the testimony of JESUS is the spirit of prophecy."

I can't help but remind you to take hold of the gift of eternal life in Jesus.  Hold to the testimony of who He is and believe that He came to save you from the wrath to come. Believe and be saved.

*John 12:44-50,  **Revelation 19:6-10

Prepared by God

There is a wonderful verse in the book of Revelation that captures my thoughts...

"The woman fled into the wilderness to a place prepared for her by God, where she might be taken care of for 1,260 days." Revelation 12:6

This woman will be sheltered for 3.5 years less 17 days.  The precise number of days has meaning as well as the fact the the place is prepared for her by God.

There was another time in history where God prepared a place to take care of people.  If you look at the book of Exodus, God is telling the newly liberated Israel through Moses that He is sending His Angel to go before them to a prepared place. At that time, the people of Israel were already taken out of Egypt and were going to enter the land that was promised on oath to be theirs FOREVER.  The trip wasn't suppose to take 40 years. But it did. So we know that the verse in Revelation is not retelling what happened on the way to the land God promised. 40 years is not 1,260 days.

 “See, I am sending an angel ahead of you to guard you along the way and to bring you to the place I have prepared. Pay attention to him and listen to what he says. Do not rebel against him; he will not forgive your rebellion, since my Name is in him.  If you listen carefully to what he says and do all that I say, I will be an enemy to your enemies and will oppose those who oppose you. My angel will go ahead of you and bring you into the land of the Amorites, Hittites, Perizzites, Canaanites, Hivites and Jebusites, and I will wipe them out." Exodus 23:20-23

This place of the Amorites, Hittites... is Canaan.  The Promised Land to Israel.  But, this Angel has the ability to Forgive rebellion.  This isn't just any Angel.

The place in Revelation that God has prepared is a special place for a special time.  And if you are still reading, pray with me for revelation as we focus on this for a few days. Stay tuned...