Bring Glory to God
Pastor Mike Clark
Church of the Valley
October 4, 2015
Apple Valley, CA
What’s in a name? Names intrigue me. How about you? I am not exactly sure why this is but, although
my parents named me Michael, I am much more comfortable with Mike. When people call me Michael, I
tell them to call me Mike because only my mother calls me Michael. That is important to me. Mike
conveys more who I am, not so formal and more approachable.
There is a story behind every name. Do you know why you were given your name? Maybe you were
named after a favorite relative, a famous person, or a good friend of your parents? Sometimes names
convey something about the person, where they came from or what they do. Johnson is John’s son.
Mary Magdalene was Mary of Magdala, a city on the northern shore of Lake Galilee. My wife’s maiden
name is Koch coming from the German for cook. A long time ago, one of her ancestors was a cook. My
last name Clark comes from the English/Scottish word for cleric or clergy. Actually, although my parents
had no idea this would happen, I have the perfect name for who I am and what I do. Michael means
messenger of God. Paul, my middle name, was an Apostle of the Good News of Jesus. And Clark, as I
mentioned is a minister. What does your name mean?
In the Bible, names given by God convey the very nature, character of the person. Abraham – Father of
many nations. Israel – One who wrestles with God. Peter – the rock of faith in God. Jesus has many
names in the Bible. They all convey to us Who He is and what He does for us. Jesus - God Saves. The
Christ – Messiah. Emmanuel means God with us. These are more than just surnames and given names.
The names of Jesus are holy names. God’s names found in the Old Testament convey Who He is and
what He does. Elohim means the Supreme God. El Shadai means God of Might. And no one dared speak
God’s name that He shared with Moses on Mt. Sinai. They would write it down with just 4 Hebrew
letters. Because the Hebrew alphabet has no vowels, this name has become translated into English in 2
ways – Yahweh and Jehovah. Both are the same name. Actually this name is not really a name. This is
the Hebrew verb for to be. And the tense of this verb is continuing from the past and on into the future.
Thus God said to Moses, “I always have been, I am and I always will be!” He needs no name to be
known from other gods because there are no other gods, only Him. So instead of speaking this most
holy name of God, the Hebrews would use the Lord God instead - Adonai.
God sent prophets to speak for Him through His Holy Spirit. God instructed the people on how they
should deal with the prophets in Deuteronomy 18:18-20 18 “I will raise up for them a prophet like you
from among their fellow Israelites, and I will put My words in his mouth. He will tell them everything I
command him. 19 I myself will call to account anyone who does not listen to My words that the prophet
speaks in My name. 20 But a prophet who presumes to speak in My name anything I have not
commanded, or a prophet who speaks in the name of other gods, is to be put to death.” So a prophet
spoke the truth in the name of God, meaning with all of God’s authority behind those words. The call to
be a prophet was an extremely serious one for the prophet and the people. There were many rewards if
the prophet spoke what God commanded and the people heard and obeyed them. But both were held
accountable if they did not speak or listen to God’s truth through the prophet. The false prophet was to
be killed. The people who don’t listen God will judge. That is why I take great care to only share with
you the Lord’s truth. When I stand up here today, I stand in the office of prophet. To prophecy does not
mean to just share about the future. It means to share God’s truth whether that involves the past,
present or future. The Holy Spirit gave me the gift of prophecy to share with you Jesus’ truth. I must
share that truth as He directs me, and we must all listen and obey that truth. If we do, the Lord richly
rewards us. If we don’t, watch out!
Do you get the understanding that we are dealing with the Unique and vastly important One when we
speak the Lord’s name? He is Holy and His name conveys that to us. The name of the Lord God is only
to be called on in reverent worship, thanksgiving and for help in our need.
So maybe now you see why the Lord gets so concerned about people misusing His name? This is the 3rd
commandment as found in Exodus 20:7 “You shall not misuse the name of the LORD your God, for the
LORD will not hold anyone guiltless who misuses His name.” Since this is in the top 3 position in the
commandments, we would think people would be more careful about this. But we hear people misusing
the Lord’s name all the time. Why do people swear using the name of Jesus Christ or God? How would
you like to be blamed for everything that goes wrong? That’s what people do, don’t they. Something
goes wrong and they blurt out “Jesus Christ!” I would hate it if every time something went wrong people
said “Mike Clark!” Why do people do that? The 1st reason is ignorance. They hear many others doing it,
so they do the same. The 2nd reason is rebellious defiance. They like the shock value they get when they
say it and they don’t want a Lord over their lives. The 3rd reason is purposeful defamation where they
align themselves against Christ and allied with evil.
Do you misuse the Lord’s name? I have heard members of churches, sometimes in the church buildings,
swear by the Lord’s name. I worry about them. Are they really so naïve or belligerent toward God?
Actually there are many ways people who call themselves Christians misuse the Lord’s name. Some pray
for anything they want and then tack on the end of the prayer the Lord’s name thinking that is a magic
formula to get their desires met. Some tell others they will pray or do something for them but they don’t
follow through. That displays a callous disregard for the Lord and His people from someone who bears
His name as a Christ one.
Misusing the Name of the Lord reveals a lack of understanding about who God is and what He does for
us. Now we are not to judge others. We are to help them to understand how great it is to know the
Lord. But know this, God will hold all responsible for the misuse of the gift of His name. They and any
one of us will not be ‘guiltless’ if we misuse the Lord’s name. Why? Because it is such a precious name.
And to misuse it is to lose out on the One who is the Savior; Who mercifully forgives; Who resurrects
true followers to new life and restores them to truth.
So let us put this 3rd commandment into the positive. Let us rewrite it so we know what to do as well as
what not to do. I rewrote it this way: We will lift high the name of the Lord, giving glory to Him
whenever we speak or act. We will lift high the name of the Lord because we love the Lord for all He
is and all He has done. We will give glory to God in all we say and do as His followers who bear His
name.
We can appreciate just how precious and worthy is the Name of Jesus. In the New Testament we hear
just how much the name of Jesus means. In Acts 2:38 Peter explained how being baptized in the name
of Jesus brought eternal life through forgiveness and the Holy Spirit. Peter replied, “Repent and be
baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will
receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.” In John 14:26 Jesus explained how in His name the Holy Spirit would
teach His followers His truth for greater life with Him. “But the Advocate, the Holy Spirit, whom the
Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to
you.” In John 14:13-14, Jesus described the great power in praying in His name. “I will do whatever you
ask in my name, so that the Father may be glorified in the Son. You may ask me for anything in my
name, and I will do it.” Praying in Jesus name does not mean to pray for anything we want. It means to
pray for what Jesus wants for us. And those things are far greater than anything we would want
selfishly. The things Jesus wants for us bring joy and life not only to ourselves but all those around us.
Jesus was so concerned about us knowing the power of prayer in His name that He repeated this
promise in John 16:23-24 “In that day you will no longer ask me anything. Very truly I tell you, my
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Father will give you whatever you ask in my name. Until now you have not asked for anything in my
name. Ask and you will receive, and your joy will be complete.”
Another amazing promise Jesus gave us is found in Matthew 18:20. He said “For where two or three
gather in my name, there am I with them.” Every time we meet in Jesus’ name, meaning to meet to
honor and glorify Jesus, He is right among us. Just 2 or 3 are all that are needed for Jesus to come with
His full power, protection, healing, guidance, cleansing, and resurrection Self. As we meet here today in
worship, for all who gather in the name of Jesus, we discover Him among us. We don’t meet to be
entertained. We meet in Jesus’ name to be lifted up into His presence; to see the world and our lives
from His perspective; to begin this week knowing that wherever we go and whatever we do, Jesus goes
with us. That changes everything about this week, doesn't it?
In Jesus’ name, people receive healing and miracles change lives. In Acts 3:16 Peter described how they
were able to heal a lame man. “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 completely healed him, as
you can all see.” Whenever we go out and do ministry and outreach in Jesus’ name, we have the
potential to heal and do miracles. I have seen miracles in many restored relationships, in many
transformed persons, in amazing healing that cannot be explained except by the touch of our Lord, and
in many other ways. God gets involved supernaturally in our lives when we minister in Jesus’ name. The
addicted throw off their dependencies, those in despair find hope, the strangers discover a caring, loving
family in Christ, the proud find humility, and the left out get included. Miracles do happen today in the
name of Jesus.
The name of Jesus is the ultimate name of all. Although some don’t realize it now, every person who has
ever lived or will ever live will one day come to this conclusion. The Apostle Paul detailed this in
Philippians 2:9-11 Therefore God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above
every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the
earth, and every tongue acknowledge that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. Jesus’
name is the name of power, glory and fame forever and ever. Not a name to be scorned or rejected, His
name conveys the full majesty of the 2nd Person of God to be worshipped forever. Indeed, as Acts 4:12
notes, the name of Jesus is the only name by which we have any rescue and salvation for eternal life.
Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to mankind by which
we must be saved.
So we who bear the name of Jesus as Christ-ones; we who should above all other people honor Him will
give glory to that name in all we say and do. We will share our gratefulness every day for what Jesus
has done for us. We will live with confidence knowing He is always with us. We will look forward with
certain hope and joy for where He will take us. Wherever we go, we carry His name with us. My
grandson loves to add names to His name. He first said His name was Colin P. Clark Cowboy. Then he
began to add a whole list of other things that defined him: Colin P. Clark, Cowboy, Fisherman, Hitter,
Pitcher, and Catcher (He loves baseball). Then one time when I was with him, I explained to him that
since I was his grandpa, he was my grandson. We were walking in a mall and went into a store. This
actually happened. The salesman asked him what his name was. He replied, Colin P. Clark, Cowboy,
Fisherman, Hitter, Pitcher, Catcher and Grandson! I am Michael Paul Clark Christian now and forever and
Christian is your name as well. We represent our Family in the Lord Jesus. We carry His name in our
neighborhoods, schools, offices, markets and wherever we step. With us goes the hope of every person
we meet for meeting Jesus too. Will they meet Jesus through us? Will our words and actions display
Jesus to the people we encounter? Will they see a new way of living with us; a better life in contrast
with their lost life? Will they discover the hope we bear and share for eternity in the Lord? If people
come to our worship services, do they see Jesus here as we meet together in His name? Are we setting
each other free in the grace of Jesus that we so wonderfully enjoy? Is the power of prayer changing our
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lives as we pray in the name of Jesus? And as we rejoice and weep together in Jesus’ name, do we
experience the very presence of the Holy Spirit to elevate us above our difficulties and temptations? God
is good! Jesus is alive with us! He shares His many gifts with us, the greatest being His Holy Spirit. All
this we discover as we live in the name of Jesus together.
When we live for the name of Jesus, others cannot help but notice. Hudson Taylor was a great
missionary to China and the East. When the communists came to power in China, they wanted to tarnish
this amazing man’s influence on their country. So years ago the communist government in China
commissioned an author to write a biography of Hudson Taylor with the purpose of distorting the facts
and presenting him in a bad light. They wanted to discredit the name of this consecrated missionary of
the gospel. As the author was doing his research, he was increasingly impressed by Taylor’s saintly
character and godly life, and he found it extremely difficult to carry out his assigned task with a clear
conscience. Eventually, at the risk of losing his life, he laid aside his pen, renounced his atheism, and
received Jesus as his personal Savior.
We live and meet together in the name of Jesus Christ. When we do so, we open our lives so that Jesus
will bring peace and balance to our lives in the midst of chaotic lifestyles. He offers through us to those
around us sensitivity, listening, caring, wisdom, compassion, and help to those in need in the name of
Christ. We are His missionaries to the High Desert. So let us live out our 3rd great devotion - We will
lift high the name of the Lord, giving glory to Him whenever we speak or act. We will lift high
the name of the Lord because we love the Lord for all He is and all He has done. We will give glory to
God in all we say and do as His followers who bear His name.
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