In the previous posts we homed in on the saving power of the name of Jesus and the church’s primary duty to continuously proclaim it making salvation accessible to all.

Matthew 1:21 prophetically spoke of and embedded Jesus’ mission in the name given to Him even before He was born: “She will bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus (“Yeshua”), for he will save his people from their sins.” The transliteration of the Hebrew name “Yeshua” identified Christ’s unmistakable mission of saving people from their sins. In Acts 4:12 Peter went on to categorically state that “there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved”.

But it is not only salvation that Christ’s name speaks of but absolute authority and lordship too. In the same way that the name was given to Him to point to His mission and ability “to save to the uttermost (completely, totally, fully) those who draw near to God through him” (Hebrews 7:25), so too was Christ given “the name that is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.” (Phi 2:9 – 10)

In other words Christ’s sweeping lordship and unequaled authority over all is equally inherent in His name just as salvation is.

Philippians 2:9
Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name,

This authority in the name of Jesus that the Father chose to give the Son is sweeping and comprehensive leaving nothing out nowhere but including everything everywhere.

The Father’s heart in giving the Son the name above all other names is an establishing of the Son’s authority over all things. The name of Jesus is not one we call upon for salvation only but one that we are equally invited to submit to and under in all areas of our lives – without exception. Just as Jesus’ authority is supreme and comprehensive over all things everywhere (Eph 1:21 – 22), so too is His authority over everything in our lives.

Is there any part of your life that has not been brought under the lordship of Jesus – any part of your life where you exercise your will without His involvement?

Is there an area of your life where you’ve not bowed the knee to the lordship of Jesus whose name is synonymous with absolute authority – areas shielded from and unsubmitted to His Lordship?

Bringing every part of our lives under the authority of the Lord Jesus is hugely beneficial to us on every level. Not only does it position us perfectly for God’s purposes to be successfully achieved in our lives but also offers us greater and complete protection from the enemy. Submission to the Lord’s authority across all areas of our lives prevents the enemy from gaining a foothold and making inroads into our lives as a result of disobedience. These areas where obedience and submission are lacking are capitalised on by the enemy. Any area of our life where Christ does not have the final say as revealed through His inspired Word is a liability. Our obedience to Christ and submission to His authority in all areas of our lives effectively neutralises the enemy’s ability of gaining foothold in our lives.

In John 14:30-31 the Lord Jesus makes a bold claim in relation to the enemy precisely because His perfect obedience and submission to the Father and so staving off any potential counterclaim the enemy could have had on Him – “I will no longer talk much with you, for the ruler of this world is coming. He has no claim on me, but I do as the Father has commanded me, so that the world may know that I love the Father. Rise, let us go from here.” The Lord’s claim to untouchability was founded on nothing else but on doing everything as the Father commanded Him. In other words, in total obedience to the Father – in everything.

That is why Isaiah, having foreseen God’s purpose accomplished in Christ’s life, prophetically declared, “the will of the LORD shall prosper in his hand” (Isa 53:10) – all because “like a lamb that is led to the slaughter, and like a sheep that before its shearers is silent, so he opened not his mouth.” (Isa 53:7)

Jesus was in the all clear – there was nothing the enemy could bring on Him precisely because He did exactly as The Father commanded Him all the time – no more, no less.

Our submission – particularly in areas of our lives we may be struggling with – denies the enemy a foothold in our lives preventing him from exerting further influence and making any claims on us. Every area that is not brought under the authority of Christ renders us vulnerable to the enemy’s potential claims and attacks derailing the purposes of God in our lives.