IN THE NAME OF GOD 1 Samuel 17:38-47
Delivered at Smith Chapel UMC on June 20, 2010
Part One
Part Two
What I Didn't Say
Authority--This is a tough subject for us as Christians. We often pray and end our prayer with the phrase, "in the name of Jesus." This begs the question, how do we know we're really praying in the name of Jesus. If we are praying in God's authority, we apparently know His will. If we are praying helter-skelter and asking for anything and everything under the sun, are we praying in His name? We might hit upon something once in awhile that would be in His will, but mostly we'd be going counter to the will of God.
If a policeman stops me and makes up some charge just to harass me, he is not doing it in the name (or authority) of the county government. If the policeman stops me going 85 miles an hour, he is stopping me in the name and authority of the county government. He needs to know the law so he can actually carry out the will of the county government in the authority of the county government.
Our plight is similar. We cannot legitimately pray in the name and authority of Jesus if we don't know His will. A policeman does the will of the county by studying the laws of the county. But how about us? There are ways to discover God's will, but the best way to start is by reading God's Word to us.
