All in the Name of Jesus

Colossians 3:16-17

Now, why did God make you? Why did God create you? Well, you say, “God made us to serve Him.” Well, friend, if that’s why He made us, that was not that wise of a thing to do, because He could have made angels that would have done a much better job of service than we do—far better, more obedient. Now, we are to serve Him, but that’s not our chief purpose.

Why did God make us? God created us to worship Him. Why does God want us to worship Him? Because, God is love, and love is a reciprocal act [tariffs!], where God loves us, and we love Him back. And, that love is called true worship.  And it’s a better worship than can be rendered by an angel, who has not so fully experienced God’s love like we have. And, in order to be loved, love has to have a recipient. And so, God created us, that He might pour His love out to us, and that we might pour our love back to God. And, that’s the greatest thing that we can give God—is our love. If we give God our riches, He’s no richer. If we give God our strength, He’s no stronger. If we give God our wisdom, God is no wiser. If we give God our glory, God is no more glorious. If we give God our power, God is no more powerful, because God has everything. There’s nothing that could be added to any of the attributes of God. But, when we give God our worship, when we give God our love, that meets the desire in the heart of the Father.

Now, here’s some wonderful news for you: There are others that may be able to give God more riches than you; there are people who may be able to give God more wisdom than you; there are people who may be able to give God more power than you are able—but nobody can love God better than you can. Is that not great? Nobody has cornered the market on worship. If you want to worship God, have at it. You can do as good a job as anybody else.

Verse 16 speaks of worship, but verse 17 is still speaking of worship. That means our worship does not end when we leave these doors and go out there into the world. We take our worship with us. And, when we come to church, we don’t merely come to church to worship; we bring our worship with us to church. Real worship involves all of life—everyday, every place, whatever we do we do in the name of Jesus. Because, what is worship? Worship is doing things in the name of Jesus, doing “all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God and the Father by him” (Colossians 3:17).

What is worship? Would you not say that worship is glorifying God? Then, your work ought to glorify God; your friendships ought to glorify God; your banking ought to glorify God; your recreation ought to glorify God. And, if those things glorify God, then those things are worship.

“If any man speak, let him speak as the oracles of God; if any man minister, let him do it as of the ability which God giveth:”—so, as I speak tonight, I ought to be speaking as a man of God, as the oracles of God—not in my own strength, but with the ability that God gives. But now, listen—“that God in all things may be glorified through Jesus Christ” (1 Peter 4:11).

You see, everything that we do, ought to glorify God, “that God in all things might be glorified.” Now, if God is being glorified in all things that I do, then all things that I do are worship, because worship is glorifying God. Are you following me? What I am doing is magnifying our daily life, Monday-morning religion.

“Whether therefore ye eat, or drink, or whatsoever ye do, do all to the glory of God” (1 Corinthians 10:31).

That’s going to eliminate some things, isn’t it? “Whatever you do, do all to the glory of God” (1 Corinthians 10:31). Some have a nicotine habit. “Well, Pastor, is there a verse in the Bible that says, ‘Don’t smoke cigarettes?’” Not that I can find. Somebody said, “Will smoking cigarettes send me to Hell?” No, it’ll just make you smell like you’ve been there. “Can you find a verse of Scripture in the Bible that says, ‘Thou shalt not smoke a cigarette?’” No, but I’ll tell you what to do. Next time you light one up, say, “Lord, to Your glory; I’m smoking this for Your glory.” Can you do that? When you’re watching a television program, should you turn it off, or leave it on? You ask yourself this question: Is what I’m doing glorifying God? You say, “Pastor, that is extreme.” You just got it. That is extreme. Listen to what he says here:

“Whether therefore ye eat, or drink, or whatsoever ye do, do all to the glory of God” (1 Corinthians 10:31). That means your dinner is to be an act of worship, and washing the dishes after dinner is to be an act of worship. Somebody told me that Mrs. Billy Graham had a sign over her kitchen sink that said, “Divine services held here three times a day”—washing dishes to the glory of God—whatever you do.

We’re under this roof tonight, but tomorrow you go out to the cathedral of the sky, and every place that you go ought to be an act of worship. You see, what we’re talking about is taking the secular and sanctifying it, and taking the everyday and edifying it, that God in all things is glorified. We don’t just come to church to worship, turn it on, and then turn it off. Now, this is a concept that has to get out. It has to get in our heart and in our mind. Do you know what the average Baptist concept was, when I was a kid growing up in church? If you wanted to be a super, really over-the-top Christian, here’s what you did: You were faithful every Sunday to go to church. You took the Lord’s Day and gave the Lord’s Day to Jesus. And then, you were faithful in your finances. You gave Him one-tenth of your income. And, people said, “You know, God has one-seventh of my time and one-tenth of my income.” And, they were saying, “It’s like a pie, when you slice that pie up. And, one-tenth of the financial pie belongs to God, and one-seventh of the calendar pie belongs to God.” So, God gets one day a week, and God gets 10% of our money. Now, that is a non-biblical concept. The whole pie belongs to Him—not one-tenth. It all belongs to Jesus—not one day; every day belongs to Jesus. We don’t do some things that are religious and other things that are not religious. God’s not going to lift out one piece of pie and judge it. God’s going to judge what you did with every penny that He’s trusted you with. God is going to judge what you’ve done with every moment that He has given you. And so, when you come to stand at the judgment seat of Christ for rewards, do you know what He’s going to look at? Not only the sermons you preached, or the songs that you sang, or the lessons that you taught in Sunday School—He’s going to look at your school grades; He’s going to look at your home life; He’s going to look at your business life; He’s going to look at your recreation; He’s going to look at your hobbies; He’s going to look at all of your life, because He says, “Whatsoever you do in word or deed, do all to the glory of God” (Colossians 3:17).

This means that there is no ground that is not holy ground and there is no time that is not sacred time to the child of God. Oswald Chambers said, “In all natural things we are to be spiritual, and in all spiritual things we are to be natural. Therefore, we’re to be naturally supernatural.”

I like people to be natural. I don’t like people to act spiritual. We’re not actors. You don’t act spiritual; you are spiritual. Do you ever see people kind of turn it on and turn it off, when they come into church? They act one way inside and another way outside. I’ve seen preachers do that. I’ve sat on the platform with them, having normal conversation.  Then, all of a sudden, it’s time for the service to begin. “Dearly beloved…” And, you know, he talks like he has a steeple stuck in his throat. And, I wonder what happened to that guy between here and there. A transformation took place. He’s now acting spiritual.

What does it mean to do everything in the name of Jesus? I want to tell you three things that it means to do everything in the name of Jesus.

I. Is it Consistent with the Personality of Jesus?

That means, could I sign Jesus’ name to it?

When little kids get a baseball bat, their favorite baseball player, many times, his name is on the bat. If he’s a great star, the people who sell the bat will get him to put his signature on the bat, or on the glove, or whatever. And so, when these people put their name on that piece of sporting equipment, what they’re saying is, “Look, I endorse this. I, as a superstar, say that this fits what my standard is for this particular piece of equipment.”

II. Does it Claim the Power of Jesus?

Does it take the power of Jesus to get it done?

Jesus said, “If you ask anything in My name, I will do it” (John 14:14). That means, “Anything that has My name behind it, then My power will take over.” He doesn’t say, “If you ask anything in My name, then I’ll give you the power to do it.” He says, “If you ask anything in My name, I will do it” (John 14:14). The Jesus in you will take over.

When Jesus was here in His earthly ministry on this Earth, He sent His representatives out to share—to preach— the Kingdom.

“And the seventy returned again with joy, saying, Lord, even the devils are subject unto us through thy name” (Luke 10:17)

You have a checking account. All right, now, you write a check. Let’s say it’s a hundred dollars. You write a check for a hundred dollars and give it to somebody. They can take that check that has your name on it, carry it down to the bank, and give it to the bank, and the bank will give that individual some of your money. Why? Because, you put your name on that check. That means I have given the bank the authority to take my money and give it to this individual. Now, suppose the check bounces. They don’t put the check in jail; they put you in jail. You see, the check only represents you; the name represents you. When we talk about the name of Jesus, you don’t disassociate the name of Jesus from Jesus. The name of Jesus represents Jesus, as much as your name on that check represents you.

When a policeman stands up, and here’s an 18-wheeler truck coming down the road, and he blows his whistle, and holds up his hand, and that truck stops— “Stop in the name of the law.” Now, what’s he stopping that truck with? Now, maybe he’s 150 pounds. He’s not stopping an 18-wheeler truck with 150 pounds of skin and bones. He is stopping that truck with authority.

Things You Can Do in the Name of Jesus:

1. Wives are to Submit Themselves to Their Husbands

“Wives, submit yourselves unto your own husbands, as it is fit in the Lord” (Colossians 3:18).

2. Husbands are to Love Their Wives

“Husbands, love your wives, and be not bitter against them” (Colossians 3:19).

3. Children are to Obey Their Parents

“Children, obey your parents in all things: for this is well pleasing unto the Lord” (Colossians 3:20).

4. Be a Good Parent in the Name of Jesus

“Fathers, provoke not your children to anger, lest they be discouraged” (Colossians 3:21).

5. Serve Honestly, Heartily, and Hopefully, in the Workplace

“Servants, obey in all things your masters according to the flesh;”—

III. Does it Culminate in the Praise of Jesus?

Number one: You ask yourself, “Is it consistent with the personality of Jesus? Can I see Jesus doing it, smiling on it, approving it?”

Number two: Does it require the power of Jesus to get it done? Does it claim the power of Jesus?

Number three: Does it culminate in the praise of Jesus?

We are His body. The Christian is the visible part of the invisible Christ, and Christ is the invisible part of the visible Christian. And, therefore, the reputation of Jesus Christ—the reputation of Jesus Christ—is wrapped up in us, the way we live.

If you’re not going to drive right, take the Jesus bumper sticker off. I see some people that have a little plastic saint on the dashboard, and I’ve often thought, “Man, you need to take that thing off the dashboard and put him behind the steering wheel. That’s where the saint belongs.”

        Let’s do all in the name of Jesus!