Lets look for a moment at the disciple Simon Peter; he was the man who made such great promises to Jesus and failed! On the night of the last supper, Jesus told his disciples that they would become confused and scatter, leaving Him alone in his time of trial. Peter was the disciple who told Jesus boldly, if not a bit arrogantly! “Not me! Although all the others may leave you Master, I will never leave you!” Jesus surprising reply to Peter, “Peter, before the cock crows three times, you will deny me three times.” Judas betrayed Jesus to the high priests, who then sent soldiers after Jesus in Gethsemane on the Mount of Olives.

Jesus was praying. He had taken Peter, James and John with Him to the garden. Jesus went on ahead, His heart was full of grief. And he prayed and waited on the Father. When the soldiers came and arrested Jesus. The disciples did exactly what Jesus said they would do, they scattered, Peter included! The soldiers took Jesus away, and Peter followed afar off. The soldiers led Jesus to Caiaphas, the high priest. Peter made his way into the palace area, and sat down among those who had actually captured Jesus.

He began warming his hands at the fire with them……. Suddenly…………… he was noticed! A young girl said, “You were with Jesus of Galilee!”Peter denied it… “I don’t know what you are talking about.” Then another saw him, “This man was with Jesus of Nazareth!” And again he denied it, this time with an oath. Then a soldier said, “Didn’t I see you in the garden with him?” The accusations were getting close to home now! Peter was worried, he cursed and swore his denials! The rooster crowed three times. Then Jesus turned and looked at Peter, and Peter remembered what Jesus had spoken. Peter went out into the night and wept bitterly. As we look at this broken man, crying on the night of Jesus betrayal. We catch a view of one side of Peter’s character. Here was a man who promised great things, but when it came to the crunch he couldn’t deliver! He went out and wept bitterly.

With this view of Peter in mind, it’s difficult to understand how fifty-two days later,……………… on the day of Pentecost,………………….. the same man stood up and preached a sermon that changed an entire city. Causing 3000 people to get saved!!!!! 53 days later, he walked into the temple with John, healed a man that had been lame since birth, and preached another sermon!

It is amazing! What changed Peter? What made the difference in his life? A number of events;

He had seen Jesus crucified, and was also with the disciples when Jesus appeared to them.That must have played a part in changing him. Jesus’ conversation with him on the beach (John 21) He was restored….. That was a part of it…… Then he was in the upper room on the day of Pentecost, and was dramatically filled with the Holy Spirit!!!!……… Dunamus……. with power. Huge difference in the man!!!

Each of these experiences played their part in changing Peter.

But with the healing of the lame man in Acts 3, Peter began to reveal to us, what had made the difference in his life.

The power of the Name in the early church:

Acts 3v1 Peter and John had gone to the temple at the hour of prayer, which was 3 o’ clock in the afternoon. This was the time when the priests went into the Holy place to offer the evening sacrifice.  There was a lame man lying at the gate to the temple. He had been lame all his life. He begged for money from Peter and John as they came in. Peter looked at the lame man, and said to him, “Look at us!” And he looked expecting to get something from them. Then Peter said, “Silver or gold I do not have, but what I have I give to you.” Peter knew that he had something to give to this man. He said, “I have something, and what I have I’m going to give to you.” Then he said “In the Name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, walk.”

Peter gave the man what he had, and what he had…… was the Name of Jesus.

And as soon as Peter spoke, he took the man by the right hand and lifted him up and his legs were healed!!!!

The man was leaping and praising God, running into the temple!

When the people saw what had happened, they gathered by the thousands, Peter stood up to preach. And the first thing he said was, verse 12“Why are you looking at us as if its by our own power that we made this man walk?”

When a man or woman of God is used in healing, or to bring deliverance to someone.

Often people look at him or her as though it is by their own holiness or spirituality.

It must be because they are really spiritual that they can be used in this miracle by God!………… This is a normal reaction…

We can think that for a man to be used of God like this!

To bring healing to the sick!

He must be a very holy man, and he must certainly have a great amount of spiritual power! But this attitude is wrong, and Peter started by correcting thinking. As he moved on through his sermon, he revealed the key to this mans healing;

Acts 3:16-By faith in the Name of Jesus, this man whom you see and know was made strong. It is Jesus Name and the faith that comes through Him that has given this complete healing to him, as you can all see.

Peter makes it very clear how this man was healed. He was healed with the weapon of the Name of Jesus!

Peter looked at the man and ministered to him in the power and authority of the Holy Spirit.

Then he had to emphasise the Truth to the crowd and tell them, that it was the Name of Jesus; faith in the Name of Jesus that made this man well!

In Acts 4:7, Peter and John were called in by the high priests and asked a question, “ By what power, or by what name have you done this?”

They knew that a ‘name’ had brought healing to this lame man, and they wanted to know more about how and why Peter and John were using this name….

Peter said the same as before, Acts 4:10, “It is by the Name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom you crucified but whom God raised from the dead, that this man stands before you healed.”

Again, Peter relates it to the Name and tells the high priests that it was the Name that brought healing! He goes on and ends up preaching them a sermon!

And in verse 12, he says, “Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other Name under heaven given to men by which we must be saved.”

When you see the awe and respect that Peter had for the Name, you begin to realise the Name meant something very special to the early church. They did what they had to do for God in the authority of the Name.

The Name had been delegated to them, they had received a power of attorney to use that Name! So they went about healing the sick, they went about casting out demons, they went about raising the dead by the power of the Name…. The high priests got worried, they ordered that Peter and John in verse 18, to stop using that name. They sad don’t speak or teach in the name of Jesus. But Peter and John said they were going to do it anyway!!! And they went back to the other disciples, and Believers and began praising God for the mighty miracle He had done!

They had a great prayer meeting!

Then they made a request in verse 29-30, Now Lord, consider their threats and enable your servants to speak your word with great boldness. Stretch out your mighty hand to heal and perform miraculous signs and wonders through the Name of your Holy servant Jesus.”

Notice the emphasis, “That signs and wonders be done by the Name of your Holy Servant Jesus.”

If we are going to do signs and wonders in our day, we must use the Name. The Name of Jesus is the weapon that God has given the church, and the church must use the Name with all its authority and Power!!!

We need a revelation of the Name!!!!!! 

The power and authority in the Name of Jesus!Amen.

In Acts 5, it is recorded how revival spread throughout Jerusalem. The high priest became so worried they called in Peter and John again, the priests were very upset. They said, (verse 28) “We gave you strict orders not to teach in the name, yet you have filled Jerusalem with your teaching.”

The teaching that was filling Jerusalem was the teaching of the Name…..it was the doctrine of the Name.

They literally filled Jerusalem with the doctrine of the Name! Because there was such authority and power in the Name, The religious leaders were extremely disturbed! We have kind of lost the concept that the Name of Jesus had in the early church. In our modern Christianity, we almost use the Name as a kind of signature to our prayers rather than something that empowers us and excites us!

The high priests had the apostles beaten, and again ordered them not to speak in the Name of Jesus. They were trying to stop the doctrine that was filling the city! They were trying to stop the force of God that was bring healing and revival to the city! If the enemy can stop the use of the Name of Jesus in our town, he can stop the power of God in our town! He can stop revival!!!

Acts 5:41, the apostles left rejoicing that they were considered worthy of suffering disgrace for His Name.

How important it is that we see this, They were suffering for the Name! They were suffering for the use of the Name! They were suffering for the authority of God that had been delegated to them through the power of the Name! And consequently they were being beaten because that Name had such power on their lips! We must see this today. What did Philip preach in Samaria? He preached the things of the Kingdom, and the Name of Jesus Christ. That’s why he saw such marvellous miracles.

The believers left Jerusalem, with a revelation of the power of the Name! They knew they could use that Name, and revival followed as the Name of Jesus was used!!!!

In Acts 9:15-16 after Saul was converted, the Lord spoke to Ananias and told him to go to Saul, saying, “For he is my chosen vessel, to carry my Name to the gentiles. I will show him how much he must suffer for my Name

The Lord was saying that the focus of Paul’s ministry was to preach Jesus Name, but first he must know that he would have to suffer many things for that Name.

In the early church they had a revelation of the power of the Name that we seem to lack today. It was the main theme of their sermons; if you study it you will see that it wasn’t just at the beginning of their ministry but right the way through….

Peter preached the Name, Philip preached the Name, Paul preached the Name! And signs and wonders and revival followed them everywhere they went!!!!

There is no doubt; They were consumed with the power of the Name of Jesus.They took it with them everywhere they went!

The Names of God:

It is important to understand the significance names had in the Old Testament, in bible times names were used to describe character, personality. Names were often given prophetically at birth. Jacob, (twister, swindler) no wonder God changed his name to Israel when he changed his character!!!

Isaac, (means laughter) even Jesus Himself means Saviour.And it is hard to over emphasise the importance of the Name of God in the Old Testament.

The Names of God relate very much to His character, and tell us a lot about who He is. The Name Yahweh or Jehovah speaks of God’s eternal existence. Each name of God, points out certain aspects of His person and character, that He wants us to understand.

It is important to study the Names of God in the Old Testament to understand who God is.

His Character Revealed In John 17: 6 + 26, (NKJ version);

Jesus prays, “I have manifested your Name to the men whom you have given Me out of the world……And I have declared to them Your Name.”

Jesus in the New Testament, manifested the true character and dimension of God to His disciples.He actually put flesh to the names of God that they knew from theology.

Remember when He said to them in answer to their question, “Lord show us the Father?” “If you’ve seen me, you’ve seen God.”(John 14:9)

He was God manifested in flesh. He wanted them to see that God was actually represented in the flesh by Himself, the Christ. He manifested the Name of God to His disciples by the signs and wonders He performed. Jesus came to manifest God to everyone of us! We see in the ministry of Jesus a fulfilment of the meanings of the Old Testament Names of God.

A single name reveals only one aspect of a person’s character. If the fullness of heaven can’t contain God, how can one name fully describe Him????

There are a number of names in the Old Testament that help us to understand our God. In our English translations we miss out on these. When we look back in the original language we find them.

Elohim - the first word in scripture used for God is Elohim. This expresses the idea of greatness and glory. And it contains the idea of creative and governing power.

Yahweh - the next word for God is Jehovah or Yahweh, it speaks of His life and Being. He is the Being who is absolutely self-existent, the One who in Himself possesses essential life, permanent existence. He is truly the living God

El Shaddai - the next name is El Shaddai. This translates as Almighty, and suggests the all-powerful nature of God. Shaddai is connected with the Hebrew word for breast, and means that He nourishes, He satisfies. El Shaddai is One mighty to nourish, satisfy and supply. The One who pours out substance and blessing. The concept of abundance is linked with this great name of God.

Adonai - or Adonai, is plural in meaning. It confirms the concept of the Trinity, and is used in Psalm 110:1, “The Lord (Yahweh) said unto my Lord, (Adon)” the name speaks of ownership or mastership, and indicates that God is the owner of each of us, and demands our complete obedience to Him.

Redemptive Names

Jehovah-Jireh – this simply means that He is a God who provides for all our needs, or even more simply “God will provide”. That is a promise for every one of us. In Genesis 22, When Isaac asked Abraham where the sacrifice was he simply said “Jehovah Jireh” -God is our provider.

When Jesus went to the cross to redeem man, He was Jehovah Jireh, God providing salvation, God providing deliverance.

Jehovah-Raphah- The next redemptive name is Jehovah-Raphah. It means ‘God heals’.

“I am the God who heals you.” Exodus 15:26.Jehovah pledges himself to His people to be their healer. It speaks of healing in the total sense of body, soul and spirit. The Jehovah who heals in the Old Testament is the Jesus who heals in the New. In other words, Jesus was manifesting the Name of God to His disciples when He healed the sick.

Jehovah Nissi - ‘Jehovah my banner.’ The word banner can mean several things. It refers to the rod that Moses used at the red sea, or when he brought water out of the rock. The rod was a symbol and the pledge of God’s power and Presence. A banner in ancient times was not necessarily a flag, but a bare pole with some kind of ornament on it. It was a sign of deliverance and salvation. A sign of victory. The name speaks of Jehovah as lifting up a standard, or banner against the nations. When Moses arms grew weak in the battle, the rod of God was lowered and the enemy prevailed. As long as Aaron and Hur held up his hands and the rod, then Israel prevailed.

Jehovah-m’Kaddesh - this name is found in Leviticus 20:8, and means ‘Jehovah who sanctifies’.To sanctify means to dedicate, consecrate or make holy, or to set apart or separate. Holiness is the most impressive of all the attributes of God. It shows His fullness and His perfection. The Spirit of God is called the ‘Holy Spirit.’ It is the nature of God to make His people holy. We are commanded to sanctify ourselves as an act of freewill. Then His power makes us holy.

Jehovah-Shalom - this means ‘Jehovah is Peace,’ and is found in Judges 6:24. Israel had been living in apostasy, and consequently had been put under bondage to the enemy. Jehovah appeared to Gideon as a deliverer and He called Himself, Jehovah-Shalom in anticipation of victory and peace. The name speaks of a harmony of relationship or reconciliation based on completion of a transaction, or payment of debt, the giving of satisfaction.

Jesus is called the Prince of Peace. Shalom was the most common form of greeting in Bible days and also speaks of the peace that takes place between God and man because of atonement. Being justified by faith we have peace with God. Jehovah desires peace for His people. Jesus’ Name represents peace for the believer.

Jehovah-Tsidkenu -this means ‘Jehovah our righteousness.’

This name reveals two facts to us; that Jehovah is our righteousness, and our righteousness is as filthy rags. Romans 3:20 says, “there is none righteous, no not one.” In order for us to be righteous, we must have the righteousness of God imputed to us. The righteousness of an innocent sufferer must be reckoned to the sinner if he is to stand before God.

This is what happened through Jesus Christ when God made Him to be sin for us, who knew no sin. That we might be made the righteousness of God in Him. His righteousness is bestowed upon us as a free gift through faith. This name reveals to us the tremendous gift that God has bestowed upon the believer.

Jehovah-Rohi -‘Jehovah my shepherd’ found in Psalm 23:1, the Lord is my shepherd. The first meaning of the word shepherd is to feed or lead to pasture, as a shepherd does his flock. Jehovah is the shepherd of His people.

It carries the idea of compassionate care.God leading us and feeding us as His flock. He protects the sheep from wolves who would attack us. He provides food, pasture and water.

In John 10, Jesus is described as the Good Shepherd. When He looked upon the city of Jerusalem, His shepherd’s heart was melted as He wept over the city. Jesus was the complete fulfilment of the Old Testament name for God.

Jehovah-Shammah- the last redemptive name of God is Jehovah-Shammah, the meaning of the word is ‘Jehovah is there’ Ezekial 48:35. describing the great city of God which Ezekial names ‘The Lord is there,’ Jehovah-Shammah. The idea that God’s continual presence is always amongst us. God desired to reveal this to His people in both the tabernacle and the temple of the Old Testament. His presence always was in the midst of His people in the tabernacle. In the same way Jesus, in the New Testament, became flesh, and brought the tabernacle among us. In the new covenant, His presence is now in us as believers we are the living temples of God. We are the temples of the Holy Spirit. Revelation 21:3 “Behold the tabernacle of God is with men, and He will dwell [or tabernacle] with them.”

A quick survey of these redemptive names of God, reveals that God wants us to know Him in terms of His healing, victory, peace, sanctification, justification, preservation,, guidance, and now, He is always present with us.

These names reveal the character of God. But since Jesus was a fulfilment of all these names of God from the Old Testament,

The Name of Jesus today encompasses every one of these elements.

The Name of Jesus brings healing.
The Name of Jesus brings victory.
The Name of Jesus brings peace.
The Name of Jesus brings holiness.
The Name of Jesus makes us righteous.
The Name of Jesus preserves us from the devil.
The Name of Jesus is with us everywhere we go.

All these aspects of God are encompassed in the Name of Jesus. How often His Name should be on our lips.

The Authority of Jesus’ Name

Matthew 28:18,19 and Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations."

Mark16:15 go into all the world and preach the good news to all creation.

Verses 17,18 and these signs will accompany all who believe: in my Name they will drive out demons; they will speak in new tongues……….they will place their hands on sick people and they will get well.

Jesus declared in Matthew 28, that all authority was given to Him; He then commissioned the disciples to go in that power.

Go therefore; He was saying because I have all power, I want you to go in my Name.

In that single act, Jesus was granting the power of attorney to His disciples to go with His power, and to go in His Name.

Marks gospel backs this up. We see here that they are commissioned to go and cast out demons, to speak with new tongues, and to heal the sick, through the authority of the Name of Jesus.

In other words, the Name has been delegated as the authority of God to the church.

When God delegates something to us, we are made responsible for it.

The Name of Jesus has been given to the church, and the church becomes responsible for the use of that Name. If we don’t use the Name of Jesus with faith, nothing happens.

However if we do use it with an understanding and a revelation that this Name is representative of the power of God, then we will see the miracles of the early church.

The church today needs a fresh revelation of the power and authority that is available to us in the Name of Jesus.

We need to seek God for this revelation!

As we read the awesome miracles that took place in the early church in Acts, what’s changed? Because if it happened then, it can happen now!!!!

This makes it unnecessary for us to pray to God for many things that we usually ask Him to do.God is literally waiting for us to do something about the Devil, He is waiting for us to cast our demons.Nowhere in the epistles is there any verse that encourages us to pray to God about the devil. Jesus has already done everything He is going to do about the Devil and his works, He has already done everything He is going to do about sickness.

It is now up to us to use the Name.

The weapons have been placed in our hands; the church stands equipped to do the work of God.

Using the weapon of the Name:

There are many verse in the New Testament that speak to us about our authority in resisting the Devil.

1Peter 5:8 Be self-controlled and alert. Your enemy the Devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. Resist him, standing firm in the faith

We are told to resist the Devil. We aren’t to pray to God to do something about the Devil. We are to resist him. We are to resist him in the power of the Name of Jesus.

James 4:7 “Submit yourselves to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you.” That word ‘flee’ in the dictionary means “to run from as in terror”. When we resist the devil in Jesus Name, he will run from us in terror. But we notice again that we are not to ask God to resist the devil, we are to resist. Ephesians 4:27 backs up what Peter and James have said, “Neither give place to the devil.” Don’t give the devil any place in your life. Stand in the authority of the Name of Jesus, and demonstrate His power.

In prayer ministry, there is power when we cast out demons in His Name. Evil spirits tremble at the Name of Jesus. Demons know when you know there is power there. They will obey the authority of the Name if you know that you have the authority to use that Name. So it’s important that we take time to find out the power in the Name of Jesus.

Living in senseless poverty

A story from Charles Spurgeon, is of a woman who had been hired by a very rich man to take care of his household. She served the rich man faithfully for over twenty years. When the rich man is about to die, he calls the woman to his bedside and thanks her for her faithfulness to him over the years. And since he has no family he decides to be generous to the woman. He wrote something on a piece of paper and handed it to her. She was grateful to be appreciated. She lived in a tiny little shack on the outskirts of the city of London. She took the piece of paper home and pinned it to her wall. Several years later she became sick and Spurgeon, the great preacher, was called to visit her. After he prayed for her, he walked around the room and noticed this piece of paper on the wall. He turned to the woman and asked her about it and she told him the story. He added, “Can you read?” she said “No. I have never been taught how to read.” And then he said, “Madam, this piece of paper is a cheque for a great deal of money. You did not have to be living in these poor circumstances. You could have been living in the finest houses in London, eating the finest food.” How true this is for many of us in the church today, concerning the Name of Jesus. The Word of God tells us that by the Name we have been granted power of attorney, for that Name has been granted to the church. It is like a blank cheque that God has signed. And yet we have never cashed it in! 

So how do we come to a recognition and a realization of the power that there is in Jesus Name?

What did Jesus mean when He gave us so many promises that related to His Name?

It says in Matthew 18: 19,20“Again I tell you that if two of you on earth agree about anything you ask for, it will be done for you by my Father in heaven. For where two or three come together in my Name, there am I with them.”

When we are gathered in His Name He is always with us.

When we are gathered in His Name, Jesus says to the church, “Whatever you ask for in my Name that I will do.”

Why then are we not seeing God’s manifestation in our lives?

Ephesians 1:17 Paul prays for the church that the eyes of their spirits be enlightened to the things of God.

And this is where we need to get understanding of the power in the Name.It must be in our inner man. It must be in our spirits not just in our minds.We can read the Bible and come to understand it intellectually. But that understanding must get down into our spirits.

The Name, praise and worship:

Praise and worship plays a huge part in getting this revelation of the power of Jesus Name into our spirits.As we spend time praising, we are entering into spiritual warfare. Our spirit is catching the revelation of the Word of God. As we sing about the Name, our spirit catches the revelation about the Name.As we continue to flow in this dimension we prepare ourselves for great spiritual revelation that we all need. Because when that revelation comes. We will manifest the power of God as never before.

Hebrews 13:15 Through Jesus therefore, let us continually offer to God a sacrifice of praise- the fruit of lips that confess his name.

A sacrifice is something that is hard to do. When things are going wrong, we are to offer to God a sacrifice of praise. We are to do it continually, every day of our lives! The praise that we offer should be done verbally. Our lips should offer it; therefore it should be spoken out loud.

How do we give that praise? We give thanks to His Name, we give honour to His Name. Praise and worship are linked or tied up with the power of the Name of Jesus. The sacrifice of praise will lead us into a mighty revelation of Jesus Name.

We started this evening with Peter going out into the night weeping bitterly. What happened to the man? There is no question that Peter must have come into a personal revelation of the power of the Name of Jesus.

And there are many times today we find our selves weeping into the night. Financial worries, health, divorce, demonic oppression, or temptation. The Name of Jesus is the answer for us today.

My prayer is that God will give us a powerful revelation of Jesus Name as our weapon.

And with it we will see strongholds fall.

[Notes compiled from a book by Terry Law ‘The Power of Praise and Worship’]