The Authority You Have in Jesus' Name

by Richard Roberts

When you think of someone's name, does a picture come to your mind—a picture of something that describes that person? For example, when you hear the name Einstein, do you think of mathematics or science? Or when you hear the name Rockefeller, do you think of high finance and banking?

But what do you think of when you hear the name of Jesus? Do you think about salvation and healing? Do you think about miracles? Do you think about a name that's higher than any other name—a name that you can speak when all hell is breaking loose and God can turn the situation around?

Or is Jesus' name just a word that was used two thousand years ago? Is it just a word that you've heard someone use before an exclamation point?

Satan Is Defeated Through Jesus' Name

Let me share what the Bible has to say about the name of Jesus. Philippians 2:9-10 tells us,

God also has highly exalted Him and given Him the name which is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those in heaven, and of those on earth, and of those under the earth.

You see, God has given you and me, as believers, authority through the name of Jesus over the problems and struggles in our lives. And He's established certain principles in His Word that can change the circumstances around us, or change us in how we approach those circumstances. But we must discover what those principles are and act upon them if we want to see those changes take place.

When we use the authority God has given us through Jesus' name, it can mean the difference between being overwhelmed by our problems and living a victorious Christian life. Why? Because I believe the devil trembles when the name of Jesus is mentioned. Every time satan hears that name, the word defeated comes to his mind.

When Jesus went to the Cross for you and me, He defeated the devil forever. When the name of Jesus is spoken, it reminds satan of what Jesus did for us through His death and resurrection. Through the Cross, Jesus took the curse of our sins on Himself. He carried our pains and our sorrows and provided healing for our sicknesses through the stripes that were laid on His back.

Just when satan thought he had outsmarted God by putting Jesus in the grave, the Lord broke the bonds of death by His resurrection power and ascended to heaven. He defeated satan and the power he had over our lives forever.

Now you may be thinking, That sounds good, Richard, but what about the situation in my life today? I still have problems that I seem to have no control over. Am I missing something?

Ultimately, you're the only one who can answer that question. Have you made Jesus Christ the Lord of your life? Have you believed on the name of Jesus with your whole heart and confessed with your mouth that He's your Lord and Savior?

Even though God sent Jesus to the Cross to defeat satan, and gave Him a name that's above every name, there's still something you and I have to do.

We must believe and act on what the Bible says if we want to use the authority God has given us through Jesus ' name to conquer our problems. We must believe that when we invite Jesus into our hearts to take control of our lives, we become the sons and daughters of God—no longer under satan's control.

Just think for a moment about the problems you're dealing with right now.

I want you to notice that each one of those problems has a name.

The Bible says that Jesus' name is above every name . That means His name is above the name of any sickness that may be trying to attack your body. His name is above any emotional struggle or troubled relationship with a loved one. Jesus' name is above financial needs and any other kind of lack. No matter what you're dealing with, Jesus' name is above it.

A Powerful Weapon

First Peter 5:8 warns us,

Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour.

That's right. The devil is out to get us, if he can. And his purpose is not just to cause us trouble. He wants to destroy our relationship with God. He wants to devour our lives.

If he can steal your joy, he'll do it. If he can rob you of your health, he'll do it. If he can stir up strife in your relationships, steal your finances, or cause you to doubt your relationship with the Lord, he'll do that too.

But there are two specific things I want you to notice about this verse in I Peter. First, it doesn't say that the devil is a lion. It says that he walks about like a lion. He may appear to be a lion, but when Jesus went, to the Cross, He defeated him once and for all.

Second, it. says that the devil is seeking ' 'whom he may devour." That means he doesn't just go around devouring everybody. He's looking for people who have their guard down. He's looking for somebody who hasn't been taught how to resist him through the authority of Jesus' name.

There's another Scripture in Ephesians 1:20-21 that tells us how powerful Jesus' name is:

[God] raised Him [Christ] from the dead and seated Him at His right hand in the heavenly places, far above all principality and power and might and dominion, and every name that is named.

That verse further explains what the verse in Philippians means when it says, "God has given Him a name which is above every name." Jesus' name is above all the devil's power, and it's above all the powers of this natural world. There is no higher name than the name of Jesus, and His name is our most powerful weapon in our battle against the devil.

A Transfer of Power

Now comes the most exciting part of this revelation for you and me. I'm talking about the part where we find out that the power of Jesus' name is available to us, if we act on it.

In Matthew 28:18 kjv Jesus told His disciples, All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth. Not just some power—but all power has been given to Jesus. Notice that He doesn't just keep that power to Himself. In Mark 16:17-18 kjv. He delegates His power to His disciples when He says,

In my name shall they cast out devils; they shall speak with new tongues... they shall lay hands on the sick, and they [the sick] shall recover.

This is the authority that Jesus gives to those who receive Him and who accept, the power of His name .

You see, prior to this time, the disciples knew that Jesus had miracle-working power. They had seen Him heal the sick, walk on the water, and perform many wonderful miracles. They realized that no problem was too great for Him to handle.

But now He was saying to them, 'In My name you shall..." In other words, He was giving His disciples the authority and power that He had to do the same works and miracles that. He had done (John 14:12). He was transferring His power to them by giving them the authority to use His name.

Now someone might say, "Well, Richard, that's fine for the twelve disciples, but is that still for you and me today?" Jesus said in John 8:31, "If you abide in My word, you are My disciples indeed." That means if you and I live our lives according to the Word of God, then we're the disciples of Jesus too. And the power and authority of His name is given to us, just like it was given to the original twelve disciples!

The Power of Attorney

When Jesus gave us the authority to use His name, it. was like someone today giving another person the power of attorney to conduct business in their behalf. For example, if I were going to make a trip overseas, I could go to a lawyer and have legal papers drawn up, and I could give someone the power of attorney to act in my place while I was gone.

If I did that, it would mean that they would have the legal right to sign my name and handle all of my business matters just as if I were standing there by their side or doing it myself. By giving them the power of attorney, I would be authorizing them to act in my behalf and to do anything I could legally do myself.

That's exactly what Jesus has done for you and me, as believers. He's given us the power of attorney to use His name. He's given us the right and the authority to act and do the same things He w ould do if He were physically standing right here beside us.

On the last night of His earthly life, Jesus said to His disciples, "Until now you have asked nothing in My name. Ask, and you will receive, that your joy may be full" (John 16:24). In other words, He was saying,

"Ask...

"Ask in My name...

"Ask in My name and you shall receive...

"Ask in My name and you shall receive that your joy may be full!"

When you know that you have a name—the name of Jesus—which is above every name, it gives you a confidence that nothing else can when you deal with the problems you come up against.

But notice that there's something we must do. That verse in John 16 says that we must ask. And

Matthew 7:7 tells us, "Knock, and [the door] will be opened to you." God is the one who does the opening, but we have to knock first. That verse also says, "Seek, and you will find." That means that we're the ones who have to do the seeking.

Jesus said, "Ask in My name and you shall receive, that your joy may be full." Are you seeking joy in your life? Are you using the name that God has given us to use—the name of Jesus— when you ask for the things you need? Let's see what happened when the disciples began to use that name.

In the Name of Jesus, Rise Up!

In Acts 3 an outstanding miracle happened that shook the whole city of Jerusalem. And it happened because the disciples used the name of Jesus.

Peter and John went to the temple to pray, and as they passed through the gate, they saw a man who had been crippled from birth. He was brought, to the gate of the temple every day to beg for money.

When he saw Peter and John, he put out his hand, expecting to receive something from them. Peter told the man, "Silver and gold I do not have, but what I do have I give you: In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, rise up and walk" (v. 6). Peter was saying, "Sir, we have something to give you that's completely different than money. For money can sustain you for a few days perhaps, but healing can change you for a lifetime."

What did Peter and John have? They had the name of Jesus! They had the most powerful force in heaven and earth! And it's the same name that you and I have.

Peter spoke to the man, saying, "In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, rise up and walk!" And then he put out his hand to the man. As their hands touched, the healing power of God rushed through the man's legs. He leaped up, totally healed, and went into the temple with them, leaping and praising God.

The Aftermath of a Miracle

A miracle may happen in an instant, but it can have an effect that lasts a whole lot longer. After this man was healed, all of Jerusalem was talking about the miracle . Many people knew the man, and they knew how long he had suffered from that crippling condition. And they were rejoicing because he was healed.

But the religious leaders weren't rejoicing. Instead, they had Peter and John arrested and dragged before them for questioning.

They asked the disciples, "By what power or by what name have you done this?" Peter replied, "By the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth...this man stands here before you whole....Nor is there salvation in any other [name]" (Acts 4:7,10,12).

And verse 13 says that when the religious leaders saw the boldness of Peter and John, and perceived that they were uneducated and untrained men, they marveled. And they realized that they had been with Jesus.

That Name!

After the news of the man's healing began to spread, the legalistic "religious " leaders, who were of the same group of men that put Jesus on the cross, didn't, know what, to do. These were people who wanted all power and authority to be locked in their traditions and "culture," but not in the mighty name of Jesus. They were afraid the people would listen to the disciples instead of listening to their old man-made traditions that kept people in bondage to wrong thinking, rather than setting them free through the power of God and in the name of Jesus. So they threatened Peter and John and warned them not to preach or teach anymore in the name of Jesus. Even the "religious" leaders recognized there was power in the name of Jesus.

But according to verses 19-21,

Peter and John answered, "...we cannot but speak the things which we have seen and heard." So when they had further threatened them, they let them go.

And there's power in the name of Jesus for your life today!

I Want to Pray for You...

God has given us a name that's above every struggle that you're facing—the name of Jesus. Maybe you're dealing with a spiritual problem or a physical problem. Or maybe you're facing an emotional struggle or a financial problem or a family problem. The name of Jesus is above the name of every problem, and His name is above every need you might have. Let's join together right now in His name and pray:

Heavenly Father, I thank You for the name of Jesus. I thank You that You cared enough about us that You gave us a name that’s above every name, and that You told us to ask in Jesus’ name that our joy might be full.

So, Lord, in the mighty name of Jesus, I come to You today, asking for a miracle. I ask You to reveal to us the power of Jesus’ name. Help us to know Him and the power of His name in a way that we’ve never known before. And in His mighty name, we let our faith go up to You, believing for every struggle and every need to be healed by the power of the Lord. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.

Richard Roberts is President of Oral Roberts University and CEO of Oral Roberts Evangelistic Association.

He holds a doctor of ministry degree and has written such faith-inspiring books as He’s the God of a Second Chance, The Joy of the Lord—How To Get It and Keep It, and Claim Your Inheritance.

For almost 25 years Richard has conducted healing crusades throughout America and around the world. Through his daily television program, The Hour of Healing, tens of thousands of miracle testimonies have poured into the Oral Roberts Ministries from people who have experienced God's saving, healing, delivering power.

Richard and his wife Lindsay often minister together. They reside in Tulsa, Oklahoma, and have three daughters: Jordan, Olivia, and Chloe.

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