Leon Fontaine - Authority in His Name
I remember as a young boy and, you know, we're not always proud of the things we do in life, but I remember an older couple in our church, and he didn't have all of his teeth. He couldn't afford dentistry and he was a very skinny guy and his wife was a very large woman. And they both were very eccentric. They talked very dramatically with heavy accents and they were kind of a, you know, for a 12-year old, or you know, you kind of just laugh at their inability to be contemporary, to kind of to fit in but this two knew Jesus.
I remember a story my mom told me. She had an operation as a young mom. And a, she was in the hospital and some things had gone wrong and she tells the story better than I do. But a, she goes, "I remember sensing death come into my hospital room". And she goes, "I was too tired". She says, "To even pray". She was very weak. She goes, "I literally just said God I have to trust in you". And she just went to sleep, and fell asleep. And when she woke up, it was like there was a life in the room. She began to get better. She was doing better. When she came back into the, to the church and the services, this elderly couple came to talk to her. And they said, "I don't know what was going on but on this night, at this time God woke us up and we began to pray for you".
And I'd heard them pray at our prayer meetings and man, they know how to use the name of Jesus. And a miracle took place and it could very possibly be that she is alive today because of the authority in prayer in the name of Jesus that this two knew how to use. The name of Jesus is something that the emerging generations don't seem to understand. The name of Jesus when it is used by a born again believer who has faith in the name. Every fallen spirit, every demonic spirit bows to the name of Jesus. The Bible teaches us this.
Now we've missed something as Christians because in the Old Testament they had a lot of terms. Like when David went to fight Goliath, it teaches us in 1 Samuel 17 chapter. That Goliath this great big giant. He gets up and he screams at the Israelites. I'm going to kill you and we're going to make you our slaves. Send someone to fight me. And he would curse them with his gods. David a young shepherd boy in his teen, untrained soldier walks on to the battlefield long story short. And here's what he says. He says to Goliath, "I come against you in the name of the Lord of Host". You go, "What is with this name stuff"?
And the Bible has a lot to say about names, using the name. Peter walking by the gate where this man who's crippled from his childhood and he looks at him and says, "Silver and gold have I none but what I have I give you in the name". He didn't say in the name of the Lord of Host. He said, "In the name of Jesus". And the man was healed. His withered spastic crippled legs literally popped opened muscles, sinews, ligaments, tendons, all were restored, and he was leaping and jumping an impossibility, an incredible miracle. And both of these guys from the old covenant and in the new covenant, and you'll see it all through the Word.
In the Old Testament they didn't say in the name of Jesus. But they would say in the name of the Lord. What is with names? Well, the Old Testament teaches us to call upon His name, to praise His name, to exalt His name, to give thanks to His name. What is with names? They had such a reverence for the name of God. But a person's name was very important. Back in those days, it wasn't the contractual society like today where you got a lawyer, and everything is signed in triplicate. Back then your name was either revered and trusted. If you were not trusted, you'd never marry off one daughter to anyone. If your name, family name wasn't trusted, you would never marry off your sons. Your name everywhere business went. You were known by your name and what's behind your name. And if there wasn't much behind your name, they would know that.
And today it's the same but we've lost the understanding of the authority and the power that is behind a name. Even the model prayer when Jesus is teaching His disciples to pray in Matthew 6, He says, "This is how to pray". And He gives a few verses about, you know, not being hypocrite and being watched in different things. But when He starts the prayer in verse 9, He says, "In this manner pray". Then He starts out. Now this whole prayer I want to unpack it one day, but I want to go for one line, "Our Father which art in heaven". Then it says, "Hallowed be thy name". What is with names? What do you mean hallowed be thy name? Because when you spoke a name, it has an instant impact on a person. If I say to you and I use a name from somebody that has betrayed you and hurt you.
You know, and I might not know that, so I mentioned this name in conversation and I see this person just going to cram up and their eyes, because every memory of this person, you know, stealing from you, hurting you, betraying you, abusing you, whatever. Every memory, every feeling just comes back and it's oh, or maybe it's a name of a friend that was there for you. That changed your whole school life, university. That name just brings us beautiful memories. What is behind a name? This is something we need to look at for the few minutes here because if you do not learn that the name of Jesus is a legal right for you to use. It's a legal right. You literally in, lawyers in the studying of the Epistles and the understanding of the name and the language that is used, they have said this.
And I have read briefs by Christian lawyers over the years who have studied this Christian issue of the name of Jesus. And this is what they tell us. That the way the Bible was written about the name of Jesus that every born again believer has been given the power of attorney. Now, I had some friends that have asked me to do that at certain times and family members as they wanted their affairs looked after. They've gave me the power of attorney and signed it over to me. And what that means is, for example in one family. They were going to the mission field. That they were going to a country who did not have a stable government. And if there was a coup, a military take over. They wanted to be able to get out of the country fast.
And they said, "We might not be able to access our banks there. So we want you to have our business, our bank accounts. And if we call you, or you hear that a coup has taken place. We want you to get a jet, a private jet. You pay for it and you get it in there to this airport and with our name on it and we will be there to get our kids out of that country". I had, it gave me incredible power to access all of their resources.
Now, the power of attorney is only as powerful as the person that who's name you have the power of attorney for. And once you have been asked to be the power of attorney. You need to know what business is, what bank accounts, what documentation this name works on, and you need to have an understanding of all that has been entrusted to you. If they don't tell you even though you've got the power of attorney. You don't even know what bank to go to access an account. You don't know if it's offshore. You don't know anything. You have been given the name of Jesus and you carry that with authority.
The name of Jesus is so hallowed. It's so renowned. Now all through the Bible it talks about names. Now everybody here has known about Psalm 91. The most popular chapter of promises for protection and blessing is Psalm 91. Let me show you two verses towards the end that have an amazing understanding of, but people miss it. 91:14 says, "Because he has set his love upon Me, therefore I will deliver him. I will set him on high and exalt him because he has known My name". What? What do you mean? He just, what, he just know the name? It's a hidden secret once you know the name. No, no. Because has known my name, means that you know this person so well. You know all of the resources, all of the prosperity, all of the authority that that name welds and carries. You know it. It says because he has known My name. He's going to call upon Me and I'm going to answer him. I'm going to be with him in trouble, deliver him, honor him, satisfy him with long life, show him My salvation. Who? Those who know My name.
There's a crisis in the church of Jesus Christ today. So few people seemed to know how to use His name. And if they do, it doesn't seem to work because they've never spent time in His Word or getting to know Him. And this is a crucial, crucial issue for the church of Jesus Christ. We've got to understand this. You see, if you were to use somebody's name somewhere. It's only as powerful as the authority and the resource behind the name. In 2 Peter chapter 1, it says here that His divine power has given us all things that pertain to life and Godliness. And so this Jesus, when He died on the cross, rose again, went to the right hand of the Father. He says in Matthew 28, all authority is given to me in heaven and on earth.
Did you know that if the devil could just scoop me up right now and take me right into the center of all of his kingdom. Whatever that is. Wherever that is. It didn't matter who was there. Every knee bows to the name of Jesus. Every fallen angel, every demonic spirit whatever you want to call them, bows to the name of Jesus. You can give any disease, any sickness a name. Often doctors thinking, scientist think because they give it a name. They can control it and then, but the name of Jesus everything bows to. We just need to understand what is behind that name. In Malachi 2:5, it says here that because of the reverent and worshipful fear with which the priest will revere Me, and they shall stand in awe of My name. They will get life and they will get peace. Who? Those who stand in awe of My name. God's name was never spoken lightly in the Old Testament. God has provided everything we need in life as a grace gift through Jesus.
So when we talk about worshipping His name, we are literally being so thankful that behind the name of Jesus is tremendous power. Now, I want to show you something here as we get into God's Word. Let me give you a few verses that you need to write down and meditate on. In Psalm 138:2, it says, "I bow before You, looking to Your holy temple, and I praise Your name, for Your unfailing love. You have placed Your name and Your word over all things". Psalm 138:3, "The moment I called out, You step in. You made my life large with strength". To know the name of Jesus and to understand the Word of God. The strength, the blessing of God makes your life large.
Now look at Colossians 3:17. "Whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God and the Father by him". Okay, what is with names? You and I need to understand that when you do business, pray over with that business in the name of Jesus. In your marriage you should be praying over your spouse every day in the name of Jesus accesses all the power and the authority that is in that name. Pray over your kids. Pray over yourself. Declare the promises of God. Jesus teaching His disciples and He said to them this in the book of John. He said, "You've been asking Me for things". You know, for the last three years. "But from now on, you're going to ask me for nothing". You can see them all go, "What"? He says, "Now, you ask the Father in My name and He will do it".
What's with that? He is showing them that because Jesus was going to die on the cross and secure every promise and all the authority that was going to be invested in the name of Jesus. That every born again believer would use that name and they would go straight to the Father in the name of Jesus. And they would see the power of God on display for healing and blessing and protection, etcetera. You know, in John 49 is a real key to this. He says, "If you've seen Me, Jesus says, you've seen the Father". When Jesus talked in the New Testament, it was the Bible who'll say things like this. That all the fullness of the God head is in Jesus. Do you know what that means? That means that when you go to the Old Testament and you look at the names of God. All of those names they reach their pinnacle. They come to this incredible name of Jesus because all of the fullness of God is in Jesus.
Now, you can know about God by looking at His name. I'm just going to show you a few of them. There's a ton of them where it talks about God's name. For example, Jehovah Tsidkenu, is that He is Jehovah our righteousness. In the New Testament now it's a gift because of Jesus. Or Jehovah M'Kaddesh, which is He's the one who sanctifies you and sets you apart. Jehovah Shalom. Jehovah is my peace. These are all names of God. It's His nature. It's what important to Him. It's what He values. It's who He is. How about Jehovah Shammah. Jehovah is present. It means God's not just some religion to study. He is here. His presence is here and He's ready to heal, to touch, to protect, to manifest Himself in our lives. How about Jehovah Rapha, which means God heals. How about Jehovah Jireh. That He prospers and brings provisions into your life.
How about Jehovah Rohi. Which is He is the shepherd who guides you and lead you in every affair of life, or Jehovah Nissi. Jehovah my banner. A warfare term. That when you see a banner of an army and when they win territory, they plant the flag in the ground, and they claim it. And you'll see often soldiers, you know, and statues of these soldiers putting a flag into a mountain saying we have taken. Their banner, their flag marks it. That God fights for His people. All of these are names of God in the Old Testament. And there's a ton more showing you His power, His love, His blessing, His healing.
Now, listen to me. A lot of people think that taking the name of the Lord in vain is when you use His name in a disparaging way and I guess so. But let me give you a new look at taking the name of the Lord in vain. There are people today even preachers, who will say God doesn't heal. It doesn't work. Did you know what to you say that, is to take the name of the Lord in vain because one of His names is the God who heals. When people laugh and say, "Oh, you believe that, that God prospers do you"? Did you know that when you come against God's provision and blessing in your life. You're coming against the very name because one of the names of God Jehovah Jireh is He's the provider and He provides super abundantly above all. And so there are religious people who will teach and say things and they don't realize that you don't know the Word. You don't know God. Your religion has taken over and you are knocking the very name of God. All of these names they come to the crescendo to this pinnacle of the name of Jesus.
I remember and I shared often situations where somebody would come against me or attack me. And whether it was a tire iron or a knife. I remember one person coming at me with a pencil and literally going for my face with this pencil. And in the name of Jesus! I knew the impact upon me. You see, when you use the name Jesus. What is behind that name? Well, first of all it won't work unless you are born again. It's not your right. It's a not legal, it's not legally yours until you are born again. Not going to church, not religious, born again. But when you are legitimately, but you've given your life to Christ and you are born again. You begin to learn and to grow in His word. And as you do, for the rest of your life, that name will become more powerful to you as you grow in wisdom and understanding. And you'll speak the name of Jesus and storms will stop. Things that are coming against your business will begin to be dissipated.
People, I remember my dad telling as I was being trained to be a pastor with him and mom. He said, "Leon, never worry about people that come against you". He said, "Do not worry about what they say. Do not worry about people who tried to destroy your reputation, your name". He said, "Pray for them. Be worried for them. Because when they come against you, they come against God and they've become a weapon". He gave me such an understanding of just be at peace. When we're in God's will, when we know who we are in Christ, and we continue to declare the promises of God. That in the name of Jesus, I walk in protection. That no weapon formed against us prospers. Every one of you who take and declare His promises. You need to know that in the name of Jesus that is established.
Stop worrying about the attack of the enemy through sickness, poverty, through anything. The Bible goes on to say a thousand will fall at your side. What would it look like to have a thousand people laying on the ground? I've never seen that. What would it look like to see ten thousand people on the right side all laying on the ground? And you're standing there because that's the promise. That it won't come near you. I want you to understand that this name of Jesus, it's legally been given to you to use, with it you can declare your future, with it you can speak to sickness and disease, with it you can speak to your business, your career, your marriage, your spouse, your love life, your generations.
And as you learn to use this name, you will walk in a place you've never learned. And I'm challenging you, as we close this message down. That some of you who've been Christians for years, you think because you know a few doctrines, that you know Him. But unless Holy Spirit is working with you and you spend time with Him each day to bring God's Word out. You won't understand. I'm speaking to every one of you, you new Christians. Start today to understand and use the name of Jesus as you speak, as you pray, as you declare, and for the rest of your life you'll know the power of God.
Father, I pray in Jesus' name. That you'll touch each person listening. I pray that Father the church of Jesus will rise up and begin to understand the legal authority they have in the name of Jesus.
If you're watching today, and you don't know this Jesus that I'm talking about. You can have Him. As I'm teaching you God's Word, the Word of God that you're listening to, it does something to you inside. It causes you to begin to sense and believe that, I might need to do this. It's called faith. Faith begins to rise in your heart, and you need to receive Jesus. If that's you, right now just say:
Jesus, thank You for dying in my place. Thank You for paying the price for me to become a part of Your family. So Jesus come into my heart. From now and on I'm following You as my Lord and Saviour. In Jesus' name, amen!