Because of this [the fact that Christ stooped so low and died a criminal’s death on the cross], God raised Him up to the heights of heaven and gave Him a name that is above every other name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee will bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father, (Philippians 2:8-11 NLT).
There is no other name of greater importance and honor than the Name of Jesus. At the Name of Jesus, demons tremble and flee (Luke 10:17). The Name of Jesus can invoke a scene like this, described in Isaiah 29:6 (NLT), in an instant, I, the LORD Almighty, will come against them with thunder and earthquake and great noise, with whirlwind and storm and consuming fire. The Name of Jesus is as powerful as the Name of God Almighty because they are One.
A name reflects one’s character and identity. When I mention my Dad’s name, “Bud,” I immediately think of how he looked, what his personality was like, and his character. Similarly, when the Name of Jesus is mentioned, we think of:
1. His identity as the Son of God--Matthew 3:17, and a voice from heaven said, “This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased”.
2. His power and authority--Matthew 28:18, Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to Me”.
3. The fact that He embodies the Word of God--John 1:1 (Amplified), in the beginning [before all time] was the Word (Christ), and the Word was with God, and the Word was God Himself.
His name, His authority, and His character are above and beyond any other name.
A beautiful worship song of the Church is Jesus, Name Above All Names, written by Naida Hearn in 1974. The lyrics are Jesus, Name above all names, beautiful Savior, glorious Lord. Emmanuel, God is with us, blessed Redeemer, living Word. My niece, Whitney, a lovely woman of God, was raised to honor God and sing His praises. She grew up in the church, and regularly heard and sang worship songs, including Jesus, Name Above All Names. One day, at age four, in total abandonment, she belted out her version of it…Jesus, King of the ball game, beautiful Savior, glonimus Lord! Her little heart was praising God at its highest level. In the purest sense, she was honoring Jesus as the Name above all names, even though her four-year-old level of understanding interpreted the lyrics into something she was familiar with—a ball game. But the Name of Jesus was so great to her that He was KING of the ball game. How precious that must have been to the Lord! To hear her sing that He was a beautiful Savior and a glonimus (glorious) Lord must have thrilled Jesus. He was, at that moment, and is to this day, the Name above all names to Whitney.
And so He is, the Name above all names. No matter how high a person climbs the ladder of success in business, politics, or religion, his name cannot ascend above the name of Jesus. His accomplishments cannot surpass those of Jesus. The Name of Jesus flattens demonic spirits. It destroys disease. It crushes evil. It brings peace. When we pray “in the Name of Jesus,” we are sealing our petitions with the authority of the highest name in heaven and on the earth: the Name of Jesus. We are praying from a most powerful position of authority—our place IN Christ Jesus. He is certainly King of the ball game, but He is far more than that, as Whitney has come to realize. He is the Name above all names.
© 2021, Chris Werre