Names1.

No Other Name

But the Name of Jesus

What's in a Name?

You can learn a lot from a name. In fact, you can learn some of the most important things about people just by learning their names. Is someone from an honorable family? What type of occupation did their ancestors have? Who is this person loyal to?

Names identify a number of things about a person, as we have begun to learn from Pastor Ron’s latest teaching entitled: NO OTHER NAME. They identify and represent a person and the house that they are from, setting them apart from the rest of the world. If your last name is Hitler, you will be likened unto your ancestor Adolph Hitler, and you may not be pleased with the legacy your name carries on. This is because names bear the honor or dishonor of the house that they are from. In fact, everything about a person is distilled into their name. It also symbolizes the allegiance or loyalty of a person; they put the interests of those of their house above all others.

The integrity of a name is passed on from generation to generation, and you inherit all the noteworthiness which that name carries. The perception of your name as being honorable or dishonorable can be changed by you by your deeds. Although the dishonor of a name cannot be removed in one generation, it can be started and changed as subsequent generations continue in honor.

Where Do Names Come From?

Names are derived from the lineage, from father to son; they symbolize the bloodline. In Old Testament times, people were named from their father; Simon BarJonah was Simon son of Jonah. Jesus would be Yeshua Bene Elohim - Jesus Son of God (Christ is not Jesus’ last name, it is His title). Names are derived from those who came before you. The first name is really just used to distinguish one member of a family from another.

Names have other sources, too. They can also be derived from geography. The name Crenshaw means an area frequented by cranes. Names are also derived from the occupations of your family: Smith means that you were from a family of blacksmiths. Shoemaker means that your family was shoemakers.

This means of identifying or distinguishing a person or group of persons on the basis of bloodline, nationality, etc., was the only legitimate subdivision of people recognized by the Bible. The concept of nations, tribes, and tongues did not exist before the Tower of Babel. Back then, the house was established by the Patriarch, and your name represented your house. After the Tower of Babel, nations, tribes, and tongues came into play. Not every household retained their name over the course of history. Prisoners of war or captives often took on the name of those who subdued them. For example, men brought over from Africa to be enslaved did not bring their true names with them. They had to take on the names of their masters.

How Are Names Administered?

Names are administered to people in two ways: on a permanent basis and on a temporary basis. Permanent Name Assignments are given to men from their fathers. The son takes on his father’s last name at birth, and it remains his name until death. It is the only valid name that he is entitled to use because you cannot change your lineage. Women, on the other hand, are given Temporary Name Assignments. At birth they are given their father’s name. Once they get married, they take on their husband’s name and become a part of his house, and they leave their father’s behind. A woman cannot take on her husband’s name while, at the same time, retain her father’s name. She can only be of one household, and her father is to give her away only once. This means that if she gets divorced, she doesn’t revert back to her father; she remains an uncovered woman who is vulnerable to deception by the devil and his angels. A woman was never intended to be out on her own; she should go from her father to her husband. In fact, if a divorced Christian woman gets remarried, her ex-husband should give her away. God hates divorce, and when a couple in the Lord divorces, they dishonor the name and house of Jesus.

The Name Above All Names

Laying the foundation of names can now help us to understand what it is about the Name of Jesus that evokes such an emotional response out of the whole world. Why is His name so provocative? What can we learn about the Lord of Lords just by understanding His name? As we read in Acts 4:12, we learn that there is salvation in no other name but His; for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved. Jesus is "the stone which was rejected by you builders (the Jews), which has become the chief cornerstone."

THE NAME THAT SHAKES THE UNIVERSE
	Having now established the enormous identifying factors within a name, it is easy to understand why the Name of Jesus is so provocative to people all around the world. It evokes the same response out of people that His very presence did while He walked the earth and that it still does through the lives of those believers who know their God and walk in His glory. There are many things that we learn about Jesus from His name: His destiny is tied up in His name. In Matthew 1:18 - 21, the Lord told Joseph through an angel, to call His name Jesus, for He shall save His people from His sins. Jesus, or Yeshua, means God saves, or save us now. Jesus’ was born to save the people of the earth from their sin. Jesus is the only begotten son of God, and His Father named Him. There are certain things that God has given us to bear witness to this fact. In John 5:36, we read that the works testify of Jesus, that the Father has sent Him. Not to mention that the Father Himself has testified of Jesus that He is His son in Matthew 3:16-17. Jesus came in His father’s name (John 5:43), (it’s no wonder that people don’t honor the Father, they don’t honor Jesus) and He revealed the Father’s name to His followers (John 17:6). The name of Jesus is the name that is above every other name, and at the mention of His Name, everyone everywhere will fall upon their knees and worship. In Philippians 2:9, we read that God has given Jesus this name above every other name, and at His name, every knee shall bow and every tongue confess that Jesus is Lord, including all of God’s enemies in Heaven and under the earth. It is no wonder why Satan hates the name of Jesus! It reminds him that Jesus is Lord and not him! He must bow down in recognition of the glory of His name. There is glory in Jesus’ name because the Father has given it glory. Hebrews 1:1-4 states that Jesus became so much better than the angels when He inherited a more excellent name than they. In the beginning Jesus had not yet been given a name above every other name yet because He had not yet inherited it. Prior to Jesus’ resurrection, those in the heavenly kingdom of God had to appeal to the Father when in combat against Satan and his hoard. We read in Jude :9 that the archangel Michael, when contending with the devil over the body of Moses, did not dare to bring a reviling accusation against him, but said, "The Lord rebuke you." The power and authority to defeat the works of Satan became available through the name of Jesus once He defeated him in resurrection. Hebrews 1:9 explains that Jesus was anointed with the oil of gladness more than His companions by virtue of His inheritance. He has been exalted above the angels and the devil and his kingdom. He had been willing to sacrifice His own life to restore the earth back to God. His valor was rewarded, and Jesus was exalted above all. Satan is seeking to remove the name of Jesus from Christianity. He has even succeeded in getting many Christians or Men of God to pray in "Your Name", rather than in "Jesus’ Name," like we are instructed to. Satan doesn’t mind if you do many charitable things or read your bible or pray, but He does mind when people start using the Name of Jesus because at the mention of His name, Satan must submit to Jesus and bow to Him.
WHAT’S IN THE NAME OF JESUS?
	We read in John 20:30 that life is in His Name. Jesus came that we might have life, and life more abundantly. This is not just referring to eternal life; it is also referring to the god-kind (Zoë) of life on this earth. We also read in Acts 2: 21 that salvation is in the name of Jesus. It was necessary that Jesus’ innocent blood be spilled to wipe out our sin. Romans 10:8-13 tells us that whoever calls upon the Name of Jesus shall be saved. In addition to the wonderful benefits of things that the name of Jesus holds that are not mentioned here in great detail like the awesome things that His name will cause to happen (heal the sick, raise the dead, cast out demons, etc.), there is a price for those who use and bear His name. We read in Acts 5:28 - 41 that we will suffer shame for bearing the name of Jesus. When this happens, we should rejoice like they did then that we are counted worthy to suffer for His name. We will be reproached and reviled for bearing the name of Jesus (I Peter 4:12), and blessed are we when this happens. By being reproached for the name of Jesus, on our part God is glorified. On their part, He is blasphemed. It is a good thing to be reproached for His name! This tape series is available for your listening pleasure in our church library.