THIS SAME JESUS - A Christmas Message from Paul M Hanssen

“THIS SAME JESUS”

A Christmas Message from Pastor Paul M Hanssen

The angel of the Lord said to Joseph:

And she shall bring forth a son, and thou shalt call his name JESUS: for he shall save his people from their sins. (Matthew 1:21)

The angel Gabriel said to Mary:

And, behold, thou shalt conceive in thy womb, and bring forth a son, and shalt call his name JESUS. (Luke 1:31)

Both Joseph and Mary were instructed that the child conceived in Mary’s womb was to be named Jesus. There was no debate between them concerning the name of the miracle child brought into their lives. Both had received specific and important instructions about the name the child was to bear. However, in the days of Joseph and Mary, Jesus (Yehoshua, meaning the LORD—Yahweh/Yehovah saves) was a common name. The name itself originated many centuries prior to the birth of the son of God. The Old Testament version of Jesus is Joshua.

Over the past 200 years, almost 240,000 babies have been named Jesus in the USA alone. Hundreds of thousands have also been named Jesus in Europe and Latin America. So why is the common name of Jesus, upon which we place our faith, so powerful? Why is this name, still carried by thousands today, the name in whom we find salvation? Why can we call upon the name of Jesus for redemption, deliverance, and healing? Why is it that this name contains all power in heaven and on earth?

The answer to these questions is not found in the name itself but in the person who carries it. For example, two people can be called Tony; one is a dishonorable thief, while the other is a man of honesty and integrity. Although they both carry the same name, they are not the same person and do not display the same qualities. One Tony can be trusted, whereas the other cannot. The trust given to one Tony is, therefore, not in the name but in the one who bears it.

Which also said, Ye men of Galilee, why stand ye gazing up into heaven? this same Jesus, which is taken up from you into heaven, shall so come in like manner as ye have seen him go into heaven. (Acts 1:11)

The disciples gazed into the sky after Jesus’ ascension when two angels appeared to them. Their message was about “This same Jesus…” They were not referring to some other Jesus who lives down the road or to the Jesus you may have gone to school with. They were not talking about a common Jesus that many people may have known in the city—no, they spoke of “this Jesus,” the one they had seen ascending into heaven. There is something different about this Jesus. The power of this Jesus lies not in the name He bears, but in the one who bears the name.

Therefore let all the house of Israel know assuredly, that God hath made that same Jesus, whom ye have crucified, both Lord and Christ. (Acts 2:36)

Here, Paul refers to Jesus in the same manner as the angels. He refers to Him as “That same Jesus,” differentiating him from all the other Yeshuas living at that time. Paul speaks about the same Jesus who had been crucified and whom the Father had eternally made one with the divine and eternal Lord and Christ, joining man with God.

I know multitudes of people who irreverently throw the “name of Jesus” around, attaching the name to their personal wishes and wants. Multitudes of religious people attach the name of Jesus to their religion and belief system. Others attach His name to their commands and demands during so-called prayer. There is no power in the name of Jesus when it is attached to the religion, wishes, and will of fallen man. The name must be attached to Him, who is the power of God.

And whatsoever ye shall ask in my name, that will I do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If ye shall ask any thing in my name, I will do it. (John 14:13-14)

Over the past few millennia, many have used these verses as a license to demand whatever they want from the Lord. Prayers, commands, and requests are made with “in the name of Jesus” attached at the end. However, that is not what Jesus was teaching His disciples. Jesus did not say, ‘Ask in my name that you may be blessed and your requests fulfilled.’ Rather, He stated, “Ask in My name that the Father may be glorified in the Son.” Clearly, asking in Jesus’ name has little, if anything, to do with personal desires or merely speaking a name but has everything to do with the Son’s mission being accomplished in your life. To ask in His name is to ask as if He were asking. When you send someone to accomplish a mission on your behalf, they stand in your place as if you were present. Asking in Jesus’ name is asking as if He were asking. Therefore, asking in Jesus’ name is not about the name itself but about the one to whom the name belongs. When we stand before the throne of God and ask as the Son would ask, we glorify the Father because His purpose in redemption is evidenced by the likeness of His Son spilling from your soul. This is true and eternal spiritual fruitfulness. (see John 15:8)

The name holds power only when it is connected to the will, person, presence, and delight of Him who carries the name. Only then will you discover the power in the name of Jesus. Ask as if it were Him asking!

Prayers are answered, deliverance takes place, demons tremble, and miracles happen when Jesus’ name is spoken in prayer and worship, attached and directed toward His will, purpose, person, character, and delight. You and I can speak the name of Jesus all we want and all day long and witness no power at all when we connect His name to our personal agenda and desires. The devil will deceive you into believing that His name has no power or that you have no faith. However, the problem is not the lack of your faith nor the lack of power contained in Jesus’ Name. Rather, our problem stems from not joining our faith in His name to the will, delight, and person of Him who bears it.

And whatsoever ye do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God and the Father by him. (Colossians 3:17)

As mature believers, our mission is to be like Jesus in all our words and actions. Consider what you are reading. Do the words you have spoken today and the deeds you have done reflect the name of Jesus? To do everything in the name of Jesus means to speak and do as if He were the one speaking and doing.

Who is this same Jesus? To whom is the name of Jesus attached? The answer to these questions is given to us in the Christmas story, or should I say the story of the birth of Jesus.

He shall be great, and shall be called the Son of the Highest: and the Lord God shall give unto him the throne of his father David: (Luke 1:32)

The power of Jesus' name is rooted in the fact that He was and is the Son of the Highest. It’s not what you choose to call yourself that makes you powerful; rather, the power and presence (or lack thereof) displayed in your life are rooted in who you are. The power in Jesus’ Name was and is rooted in who He is.

And we know that the Son of God is come, and hath given us an understanding, that we may know him that is true, and we are in him that is true, even in his Son Jesus Christ. This is the true God, and eternal life. (1 John 5:20)

Who is he that overcometh the world, but he that believeth that Jesus is the Son of God? (1 John 5:5)

This same Jesus whom we call upon, love, worship, and trust is the Son of God, the Son of the Highest. The Father poured the fullness of the Godhead into Him. The name of Jesus that is joined to the person of God’s Son has all power. But this same name has no power when attached to anything common, earthly, carnal, worldly, and self-centered. But, oh, what power and authority we experience in the name of Jesus when the person, will, desire, and delight of Him who carries the name is sought after and embraced by faith.

You shall call His name Jesus—unlike any other! “For such an high priest became us, who is holy, harmless, undefiled, separate from sinners, and made higher than the heavens.” (Hebrews 7:26). There is no one like Him. Jesus, the Son of the Highest! The gift of God’s Son is what we celebrate during Christmas. He has all power; His name is Jesus!

My wife and I wish you all a very blessed Christmas. May the presence of Him, who is called Jesus, fill your lives, homes, and families during this wonderful season and in the coming year.

~Bro Paul and Sis Gwen Hanssen