SPIRITUAL DIARY FOR 5/13/2017
5:57 PM
My Worship Time Focus: “The Name of Christ”
Bible Reading & Meditation Reference: Colossians
3:17
Message of the
verses: “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.”
Perhaps the
question we need to ask is what does it mean to do all in the name of the Lord
Jesus? Well to answer this question, at
least for today I will quote exactly what our friend Dr. Warren Wiersbe has to
say from his commentary concerning this verse and then in our next SD we will
look at what John MacArthur has to say about this verse.
“In modern society, we pay little attention to
names. But the ancient world held a man’s
name to be of utmost importance. Often,
during Old Testament days, God changed a person’s name because of some
important experience or some new development.
“As Christians, we bear the name of Christ. The word Christian
is found only three times in the entire New Testament (Acts 11:26; 26:28; 1
Peter 4:16). The name was given originally
as a term of contempt, but gradually it became a name of honor. The name of Christ, then, means identification: we belong to Jesus
Christ.
“But His name also means authority. A man’s name
signed to a check authorizes the withdrawal of money from the bank. The President’s name signed to a bill makes
it a law. In the same way, it is in the
name of Jesus Christ, we have the authority to pray (John 14:13-14;
16:23-26). Because Jesus Christ is God,
and He has died for us, we have authority in His name.
“All that we say and do should be associated with the
name of Jesus Christ. By our words and
our works, we should glorify His name.
If we permit anything into our lives that cannot be associated with the
name of Jesus, then we are sinning. We
must do and say everything on the authority of His name and for the honor of
His name.
“Bearing the name of Jesus is a great privilege, but it
is also a tremendous responsibility. We
suffer persecution because we bear His name (John 15:20-21). I have noticed in conversations that you can
tell people you are a Baptist, Presbyterian, Lutheran, or even an atheist, and
there will be little response. But if
you tell people you are a Christian, and bring the name of Christ into the
conversation, almost immediately there is some kind of response, and it is
usually negative.
“Every parent tries to teach his children to honor the
family name. In just a few minutes, a
person can disgrace a name that it has taken his ancestors years to build. For example, the Hebrew name Judah is a respected name; it means ‘praise.’ The New Testament equivalent is ‘Judas’—and who
would name his son Judas?
“Notice that Paul again mentioned thanksgiving in this Colossian
letter. Whatever we do in the name of
Christ ought to be joined with thanksgiving.
If we cannot give thanks, then we had better not do it or say it! This is the fifth of six references in Colossians
to thanksgiving (Col. 1:3, 12; 2:7; 3:15, 17; 4:2). When we remember that Paul was a Roman
prisoner when he wrote this letter, it makes this emphasis on thanksgiving that
much more wonderful.”
5/13/2017 6:19 PM
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