The Name of God
“And I have declared to them Your name, and will declare it, that the love with which You loved Me may be in them, and I in them.”
John 17:26 NKJV
Our Father God and Jesus are one. God the Father bestowed all of His glory, authority, power and everything to His Son. It is not that He has many sons to whom He equally divided and gave; He gave everything to His one and only Son.
Thus, John chapter 1 says that we beheld Jesus Christ, and He was full of the glory of the one and only who came from the Father. There is a need for us to take note of this “glory of the one and only.” It means everything which the Father had was given only to Him. He gave everything. Therefore, the Father’s glory is found in Jesus alike.
To behold the glory of the one and only means to see the glory of the Father. Hence, to have seen Jesus means to have seen God. To believe in Jesus means to believe in God. For Jesus is the only begotten Son; He is called the image of God. To say, “Jesus is the image of God” and to say, “Jesus is the only begotten Son” both mean the same.
Actually, we hear about these things very often that it is nothing new to us. However, many people are lost because they do not understand such simple things. If we know this, we should be jumping ecstatically about the fact that we know this. Our hearts should be burning, and we should make every effort to tell others of it. How did God give all of His glory to His Son? He gave it through a vessel called God’s name. It was in the name of God that He gave all things.
Though Joseph was sold off to Egypt, later, he became the second in command through God’s guidance. He became the second in command. At that time, Pharaoh trusted greatly in Joseph, and he gave all of his authority to him. Thus, he was to be regarded the same as one on the throne. Pharaoh even said that if anyone disobeyed Joseph, he was disobeying Pharaoh. So Joseph was given all the authority. And what did Pharaoh take off himself to give Joseph? It was a signet ring. That ring was not worn for looks. The king’s ring was a signet ring. It was sealed. It was a seal used to sign. The seal was on the king’s ring. When the king signed a document, wax was melted on the document, and the king pressed his ring onto it, which left the mark of the seal. And it was evident that if the seal was present, it was a royal document; if the seal was not there, it was not from the king. Hence, if anyone had the ring, everything he says or writes would effectively have the king’s authority. And Pharaoh took off that ring and gave it to Joseph. So, how much confidence did he have in Joseph? Thus, everything in the kingdom was entrusted to him. So Joseph took charge and turned Egypt into a powerful nation. At one point in times past, Egypt was a powerful country and that was thanks to Joseph.
Similarly, God gave everything He had to His Son, like the giving of the signet ring, but on that ring was written the name of God. In other words, God gave His name to His Son. That name is Jesus. That is the name He gave His Son. Jesus said, “by Your name which You gave Me Father.” And that name is given to us to protect us. He protects us on the earth. In this Hades, which is pitch black, where the devil with his forces are swarming, how can the children of God survive? The fact that we are alive is a miracle. It is impossible for us to survive. But we are surviving and peacefully, too. Why is that? It is because we have the name Jesus. God gave us His name. Because everything of God has been given to us through that name, we are able to have peace and live by God’s power and authority. If we were saved but could not receive Jesus’ name, what would happen? We would be dead. Our breath will not remain, nor will our spirits be preserved. That is why He gave us His name to keep us.
To whom did God first decide to give this name? It was His Son. And the Son prayed like this: give them also this name. I have revealed this name to them but will reveal it again. So that the love which You (Father) have for Me may also be in them.
Jesus, the Son of God, received all things and the glory of the Father. But He is virtuous. He is full of virtue. So, He wants to share whatever He received. He wants to share everything. He is unlike humans. We humans like to hog things to ourselves, especially good things. And if others have it, we get jealous and try to make it ours. And even if we did share it with others, we want to show off and take some credit for it. That is the way man is. Even if one was to give anything, it is to his son or his wife only. Nowadays, the wife manages her own finances. Because they cannot trust each other. So, people will only share and give to those they trust.
But with God’s Son, who did He want to give the name Jesus to? He desired to give it to the sinners who were God’s enemies, boastful of themselves and ignorant of God’s grace. He wants all men to repent and receive in this name. Not only does He give this name so that they are saved, He also placed all the glory of the Son of God in that name and gave it to them. What is the way for us to fully immerse in that name? It is by being baptized. In Jesus’ name, we receive baptism. And for those who are baptized in His name, He sends the Holy Spirit in Jesus’ name so that they are inseparably one with the name.
To go into that name means to enter into the relationship of God and His Son, which means that God, the Son and we are fully one, and our relationship is inseparable. This is normal. The eternally inseparable relationship. By that name, we have become united as one.
In Western culture, they have a first name and then a last name. But both are called names. Your surname is also a name. This is a metaphor. If I have a child, I give my surname, Lee, to my child. So my child will become a Lee. And my child will be entitled to receive everything I own. I can inherit it to him. So, just as I give my name to my child, God also gave us His name.
Again, in Western culture, once married, the wife takes up her husband’s surname. For example, if she gets married to a Lee, then she was Kim will become a Lee. Here is Helen Nam. But if she is married to Ki-Taek Lee, she becomes Helen Lee. Is it the same in China? From then on, she is called Helen Lee. And I discovered while writing letters to a pastor in Taiwan whose wife’s surname is Chang that she does not go by her surname Chang but is to be called Mrs. Lee because the pastor’s surname is Lee. So once married, the wife shares the one and the same name. The husband and wife are one. They are united in their relationship as one; everything they own is shared, and they share the glory. They have one name.
God gave His name to His Son, which means in their relationship they share everything with each other. And into that relationship, God invited us. We have fellowship with God. When we evangelize, we are inviting others into this fellowship, which is the fellowship we have with God. Our fellowship with Jesus. Our fellowship with God. This fellowship was originally between the Father and the Son. But now we have entered into that fellowship and are a part of it.
In such a relationship where there is fellowship with one another, there is no yours and mine; everything is shared. His glory is mine. Thus, the reason we are able to cast out demons today is that we take His glory and use it as ours.
Let’s say a person has a great deal of trust in you that as he is going overseas, he gives you his house keys, his credit card, his car and so on. He is very rich, lives in a four-storey house, and drives a luxurious car. But he gives you his house keys and his card saying you will need money to look after the house and tells you to use everything as you need. What do you think about that? Just thinking about it is great, isn’t it?
And He did actually give it to you. God gave the keys to all the storehouses of heaven. He gave all of His authority as well. We have the name Jesus. Look how excited we get just thinking about that person’s house, credit card and so on. Just the thought of it makes us laugh. But they are not laughing when they think of Jesus’ name. Jesus’ name is in me. God’s name is in me. That automatically brings a smile to my face; I feel ecstatic. When we have that faith and joy, we will see the works of faith. I wish you would put on that face at other times, too.
My wife would say this to me. For instance, if we are walking and we see a photo of Ha Ji-won (Korean actress), she would say, “You can’t help that smile on your face, can you?” In fact, when I do see her face, my lips go up unintentionally. A while ago, there was a drama called Damo, and since watching it, I thought Ha Ji-won is a great actress and beautiful. So she is my favorite actress. Not that I am obsessed with her, but she has a nice impression. So I would smile without even realizing when I see her.
So when we think of Jesus’ name, that would be our natural reaction. Jesus’ name is in me. And no one can snatch this away from me. It will remain with me forever, even if all material possessions might get stolen. Some people cannot trust the banks that they keep their cash in a safe, and actually, in Taiwan, a person kept his money in a safe, but when he opened it up 7 years later, the ants had eaten up everything. He could not find any trace of it because the ants had eaten it all up. Maybe that happened so often that it even says in the Bible that “moth and rust destroy.” It probably was common in the olden days for moths to eat and destroy people’s treasures. It also said thieves would break in and steal. In the olden days, they did not have metal bars nor, locks and keys.
The walls were not even bricks. In the rural regions of China, they do not have any place to safely keep their treasures. They did not have anywhere in the house to keep them. They either buried them underground or locked the doors with a padlock. But no matter how well they lock the doors and how thick the walls are, the walls are just clay. So if a person leaves his house for a month unoccupied, thieves can break through the walls, and steal everything. Hence, it is meaningless to store up money on earth. You feel anxious about it. It might seem like times have changed, and things are better now, but it is not much different.
Nowadays, there are still moths that destroy and thieves breaking in, but we live in a world where money is stolen from before your very eyes. There are various ways to steal your money. The government takes your money, and some insurance companies blatantly take your money from you. Many people take out insurance thinking they can get compensation later on, but it does not always work out that way, does it. You might cancel your policy midway through, and you want some of your money back, but you are not given half of it back. Your money is being stolen before your very eyes.
But nobody can snatch away the name Jesus. Although the name Jesus cannot be seen, it is able to control all of these things. As He gave us that name, He told us to use that name. There are many things that have to be done by using that name. When people think about what they might do with the authority of that name, they think of how they might make money. However, what must be done with that authority? Jesus told us the least of the works that must be done to store up rewards in heaven. They are these: “Baptize them in My name. Teach them in My name. Preach the gospel in My name. Drive out demons in My name. Lay hands on the sick. Speak in tongues in My name. Pick up snakes with your hand in My name and you will not be hurt. Even if you drink deadly poison you will not be harmed.” He spoke of the basic things we must do in His name. Apart from those, He also said, “Pray in My name. Ask whatever you wish.”
Depending on how much one honors His name, he can either enjoy the benefits of that name or live a life that has nothing to do with that name. When people who do not really get excited at the name Jesus try to use that name, they do not see as much power manifest. But for those who do get excited at the thought of the name Jesus that is within them, they will see its power manifest when they use the same name. To rejoice over the name of Jesus is our power. If you do not have that joy within you, it means you have not yet received the name in reality. We should rejoice in the name of Jesus. How is Immanuel realized? It is by that name. By having that name within us. Thus, regarding the promise made to Abraham, though Abraham strove all his life, he did not get to see its fulfilment, but we got to receive it free of charge. We obtained the name Jesus. David did not get to see it, but we did. In fact, we received it right into us that it dwells within the deepest of our spirit and will never leave us. We became completely one with that name. How joyful are we!
Abraham even sacrificed his son and yet could not attain it but only saw its shadow. However, aren’t we joyful that we have come to possess the true substance? Jesus’ name. If we rejoice over that name, we will call on that name, and whatever can be done in that name, we will endeavor to do. We will be excited about the name and do what is commanded through that name. So, rejoice over this name. The name is Jesus. Jesus’ name is in me. Jesus’ name is in me. Repeat three times.
Jesus’ name is in me!
Jesus’ name is in me!
Jesus’ name is in me!
I am bold even if others were to harm me because what they are doing is trying to harm the name of Jesus that is in me and hinder it. In the end, they are hurting themselves. That is why we can be bold and fearless. Otherwise, how anxious would we be? It is a world where blackmail and threats are prevalent. Without Jesus’ name, we have no guarantee. By that name, everything returns to one’s own head. People can kill and slander those who possess Jesus’ name, but in the end, all their deeds will return to their own heads.
I have Jesus’ name in me. Let us pray that we can truly enjoy the promises of that name and that our spirits can rejoice and be filled with joy on account of that name.
Father God, I thank you for bestowing upon me the name of Jesus, carrying all the glory and power of God. Father, please help me to live with the joy and be fit in your joy, happiness, and glory that come with bearing this name. Assist me in actively using this name. May all that I do today in this name be blessed and prosper by our God. I pray in the name of Jesus. Amen.
Sermon by Pastor Ki-Taek Lee
The Director of Sungrak Mission Center
Sermon on November 29, 2012
Translated by Sungrak Mission Center English Team