Baptism of Discipleship (In the Name Pt. 2) | 03-08-26

Continuing to discuss the baptism of discipleship and what "in the name" really means.

Transcript

SPEAKER_00 0:00

So we're jumping back into the series that we are in right now called A Baptism of Discipleship. A baptism of discipleship. And we're laying some foundations that are important. And if you haven't heard some of the previous messages over the last few weeks, they are building on each other. So some things I say today, if you didn't hear last week or the week before, you may not fully understand. So it is important to go back and to listen to those messages if you didn't hear them. But we're going to jump into this and I'm excited about it. This is one of those words that changes the way that I think in a way that makes me see Scripture very differently. It's a revelation of Scripture and the meaning of Scripture that then every time we use the words and the message today is in the name of Jesus, we we know what that actually means. So let me find my place here. Last week we talked a little bit about this. I don't want to recap the whole thing, but one part where I right where I left off was important. Alignment with God is submission to his authority for a release of his power. We talked about the fact that God is not a magician, he is God. There's no magic format or perfectly worded prayer that in the name does not mean that we tack the name of Jesus onto the end of a prayer and then that makes it happen. It's not a certain kind of prayer that God hears. This is important. It's a certain kind of person that God hears. And so as we go through these scriptures and as we dive into what does it actually mean, we were reading Matthew 28 that says, um, hang on, first we read Mark 16, where he said to them, Micah might have that up there. He said, Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature. He who believes and is baptized will be saved, but he who does not believe will be condemned. And these signs will follow those who believe. In my name they will cast out demons. They will speak with new tongues, they will take up serpents, and if they drink any deadly thing, it will by no means hurt them. They will lay hands on the sick, and they will recover. In my name they will do these things. And then in Matthew 28, 18, it's Jesus giving the Great Commission. Both of those accounts are the Great Commission. Uh, different versions and element of it included. They don't contradict each other, they they complete each other. And it said Jesus came to his disciples after his resurrection, and he said, I've been given all authority in heaven and on earth, therefore go and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of Jesus, in the name of the Father, in the name of the Son, and in the name of the Holy Spirit. Teach these new disciples to obey all the things that I have commanded you, and be sure of this, I am with you always, even to the ends of the age. So when he says baptizing them in the name of the Father, in the name of the Son, in the name of the Holy Spirit, again, he wasn't giving us language for water baptism. He wasn't even talking about water baptism. He was talking about making disciples of all the nations, taking all of the authority and all of the power that he had been given and making disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and the name of the Son, and the Holy Spirit. So he wasn't talking about water baptism. That's why I call it a baptism of discipleship. So we're going to go into details in the future of what does it mean to be baptized in the name of the Father, in the name of the Son, and in the name of the Spirit? Why did he distinguish those things? Because it's a very distinguished process. Being baptized into the name of the Father is different than being baptized into the name of the Son and into the Spirit. There are different things within the Trinity, within the Godhead that God has for us for our development, for our maturity, for our growth, for our wholeness. And so we're going to go into those things at length. But first I felt like I need to build a foundation of what does it even mean in the name. If it's not just something that we tack on to the end of a prayer, then what is it? And we started talking about that last week, and today we want to continue with that, but then we we left off with that statement. It's not a certain kind of prayer that God hears, it's a certain kind of person that he hears. Jesus had very specific ways that he healed people, that he delivered people, that he ministered to people. And what I want to start with today is considering a few of the things that Jesus never did and what he did do when miracles were what was needed to help somebody. Number one, Jesus never made a public spectacle of anyone that he ministered to. He often led them and took them away from the crowds or cleared the room before he healed someone, before he ministered to them in miraculous ways. Number two, Jesus never performed miracles like a dog and pony show or a circus act. People tried and tried to get him to do miracles on demand, and he never would. Number three, Jesus never used the miracles he did to draw crowds, promote his ministry, or for monetary gain. Actually, the opposite. He would often ask people to not bring attention to what he was doing and to not tell somebody what had happened. Number four, Jesus never repeated methods or formulas or formulated words to release supernatural power in someone's life. He used different customized tactics every time with each person. I believe one of the reasons for that is that no one would make a precedent out of the method. Or some formulated prayer that they use like a spell. Jesus fifthly, Jesus never screamed or yelled at people. He never pushed people down or shoved them. No crazy, weird, demonstrative antics from Jesus. Instead, with gentleness and class, he simply took authority over things that were not God's will and then provided faith opportunities for people to submit to his authority in order to bring their life into alignment with God's will. Signs and wonders are the result of Jesus' authority being exercised over something that isn't his will to bring it into alignment with what is his will. Something that's profoundly interesting to me is that Jesus never said for us to pray for the sick. Again, it's not a carefully worded prayer. It's not a formula. He said to heal the sick. He said, lay hands on them and heal them. It's not recorded that Jesus ever really prayed for anybody. He did use vocal prayer, but in the Gospels, Jesus rarely used vocal prayer to heal the sick. Instead, he exercised direct authority by commanding diseases to leave, speaking healing words, or touching the afflicted. He instructed his disciples to heal the sick and cast out demons using the authority he gave them rather than praying for those things. Very interesting. Challenges my belief here. The laying on of hands, which is what he said, they will lay hands on the sick and they will recover. We just read that in Mark. The laying on of hands is a doctrine of authority being passed down or transferred from someone who has authority to someone who is submitted to authority. We read Marthew 6 already. These signs will follow those who believe in my name. They will cast out demons, they will speak with new tongues, they will take up serpents, they will drink anything deadly, it won't harm them. There's protection, supernatural protection, supernatural healing, supernatural freedom. They will lay hands on the sick and they will cover. So let's look at that phrase, in my name. It's a phrase that we as Christians use all the time. Hopefully, every day, we say, in the name of Jesus. We close our prayers by saying, in the name of Jesus, amen. Right? But what does that actually mean? So in this scripture in Mark 16, the word in my name, same as Matthew 28, where he says, baptizing them in the name of the Father, in the name of the Son, in the name of the Holy Spirit, that word in is the Greek word E V or E-N. I think we have this in the notes there. And it is a primary preposition denoting, listen, fixed position, relative of rest. It means in to plus to give self holy to, to be fully under, to be in by and with. Right? When Jesus said with man it's impossible, but not with God. With God, all things are possible. Same word. Same word. It's this word in, and it means a fixed position or to give to give oneself wholly to, to be fully under. So it is to be in and to be fully under. Okay. So then a couple weeks ago I taught on baptize. What does baptism mean? So you you baptize in the name. So we'll talk about that. But this is very important because this means something deeper than what we think it does. Acts 17, 28, the same word says, for in him we live and move and exist. In him we live and move and exist. Same word. It is that we get baptized into Jesus, into the Father, into the Holy Spirit. That's why it says it's no longer I that live, but Christ who lives what? In me. If I am in him and he is in me, those are the same word. It's a position, a fixed position of being in and under, fully under the authority of. That's what that word means. In. Now here's my. My is this Greek word mau, move, mau, and it means of me, my very own is what it means. And so combine that in my very own, in what is of me and what is my very own. And then the word name is this word onoma, and it means authority, character, and nature. Authority, character, and nature. So there's again, I'm teaching these out because there are different Greek and Hebrew words for the word in, and they mean totally different things. In English, there's only one word for it, but in Greek and Hebrew, there might be five different uh meanings of a word that in English there's only one word for. So when it says in in different scriptures, it can mean different things. When it says name, it can mean different things. But in this context, it means authority, character, and nature. So listen to this. In the name means to be fully under Jesus' very own authority, character, and nature. It is a position, it is not a phrase that we tack on to the end of a prayer. When Jesus said, When you do this in my name, he wasn't saying, add my name to the end of your prayer. It's not a certain kind of prayer Jesus hears, it's a certain kind of person that Jesus hears, that God hears. It's a certain kind of person that gets answered prayer. These signs will follow those who have, this is what it would sound like in the context of this meaning. These signs will follow believers who have fully given themselves to be completely and totally under my very own authority, character, and nature. Very different than just adding in the name of Jesus to a prayer. Here are some other scriptures using the same Greek word, John 15, 4. Remain in me, and I will remain in you. For a branch cannot produce fruit if it is severed from the vine, and you cannot be fruitful unless you remain in me. Same word, completely submitted to my very own authority, nature, and character. Yes, I am the vine and you are the branches. Those who remain in me, and I in them will produce much fruit. In other words, there'll be evidence. For apart from me, you can do nothing. Anyone who does not remain in me is thrown away like a useless branch and withers. Such branches are gathered into a pile to be burned. But if you remain in me and my words remain in you, you may ask, listen, you may ask anything you want, and it will be granted. When you produce much fruit, you are my true disciples. This brings great glory to my Father. So again, what he's teaching there is when you are completely baptized, submerged into all that I am, all that I have, under my authority, these are the things that will happen. These are the promises that will be true for that person. Again, in Acts 11, uh it says, John indeed baptized in water or with water, but you shall be baptized with the Holy Spirit or in the Holy Spirit. It's the same word. Romans 6, 3. Or don't you know that all of us were baptized into Christ Jesus? Uh don't you know that all of us who were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death. In other words, you're you're in him under his authority, so there you are connected to his death that was that resulted in the redemption of all mankind. We are therefore buried, again, that's baptism. We are buried with him through baptism into death, in order that just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we may too live a new life. For if we have been united with him in a death like his, we will certainly be united with him in a resurrection like his. Isn't that amazing? You see, a little word like in has such profound meaning and truth in the scriptures, and we just pass right over it when we read it. It's completely submerged into the authority and the character and the nature of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. That's a baptism of discipleship, and that's what he was commanding us to do: to help people be completely submerged into the authority, character, and nature of the Father, the authority, character, nature of the Son, the authority, character, nature of the Holy Spirit. That's what we're supposed to be, and that's what we're supposed to be doing is facilitating that. That is discipleship according to Jesus. Now let's look at some scriptures where it's a totally different word that's used there. Matthew 7, 21. Uh, Micah, you don't have this, or Isaac, you don't have this in there. I added this uh later, sorry. So y'all just have to listen. Matthew 7, 21, the subtitle of this is True and False Disciples. Jesus said, Not everyone who says to me, Lord, Lord, now remember that. It's the only time in Scripture you see Lord, Lord together like that. Lord, Lord, not everyone who says to me, Lord, Lord, will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. And that word in heaven, right there, is the same word we just talked about. Means to be fully, it's a place, a fixed position, right? To be fully submitted to the character nature of. And so my father who is in heaven, many will say to me on that day, Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name? And in your name drive out demons, and in your name perform miracles. And then he said, I will tell them plainly, I never knew you away from me, you evildoers. Now that is a different word. That's a different end. It's the word onoma, which actually means name or title. Name or title. Um, and so when it says Lord, Lord, it's the same word twice. And what that is, is it's just a title. It doesn't mean anything. It's just Lord, Lord. It's just how we would flippantly use in the name of Jesus. So listen, listen to this. In your name, we prophesied. In your name. In other words, what he was saying was using your name, mentioning your name, we prophesied. Naming your name, it literally means in the same word, name is the same word. In and name is the same word. He's saying, naming your name, we prophesied. Naming your name, we cast out demons. Naming your name, we did these works. And Jesus said, I don't even know you. It's all language, it's words. There's no, you're not submitted, you're not baptized into me. You're not in fixed position, right? Remember when he gave authority to the disciples and they went around and cast out demons and they came back and they got even the demons left when we when we spoke your name. And he said, Don't rejoice in that, but rather rejoice that your names are written in the Lamb's book of life, right? In other words, rejoice in the position, don't rejoice in the power. Here's another one. This is a different, this is a different word in here. Luke 21, 8. He replied, Watch out that you are not deceived, for many will come in my name, claiming I am He, and the time is near, don't follow them. This is Jesus talking. Many will come in my name. That's a different word. That is the Greek word epi, epi, and it's a primary proposition meaning superimposition, to order over or to place upon. So to superimpose. So that's actually where we get the word poser or imposter. The English word poser or the English word imposter comes from this word epi, which is being used here in my name. Superimposition means to place something on top of something else as to see both. To place something on top of something else as to see both. Same word here in Acts 19. A group of Jews were traveling from town to town casting out evil spirits. They tried to use, listen, they tried to use the name of the Lord Jesus in their incantation, saying, I command you in the name of Jesus. That's the word epi. It means superimposition to place on top of. In other words, they were just they were just putting the name of Jesus on their incantation, on their prayer. In the name of Jesus, who Paul preaches to come out. The seven sons of Skeva, a leading priest, were doing this. But one time when they tried it, the evil spirit replied, I know Jesus and I know Paul, but who are you? Then the man with the evil spirit leaped on them, overpowered them, and attacked them with such violence that they fled from the house naked and battered. One translation says, naked and bleeding. Why? Because they were misusing the name of Jesus. They were using it as an imposter. They were just tacking it on to the prayer. Not actually submitted to Jesus' very own character, nature, and authority. But just trying to pose, trying to mimic, trying to imitate the true power of Jesus. It's wanting the benefits without the responsibility. In Acts 19, verse 13, in the King James Version, listen to this, it says it a little differently. It says, Then some of the itinerant Jewish exorcists took it upon themselves to call on the name of the Lord, in the name of the Lord Jesus, over those who had evil spirits, saying, We exercise you by the name of Jesus who Paul preached. Again, they're just placing it over. It wasn't about them, the ones who were doing the ministry, being placed into, being under the very own authority, character, and nature of Jesus. It was just taking his name and tacking it onto it. Listen, this is essentially doing God's thing our own way so that ultimately we get some of the credit. It's using the name of Jesus for your gain rather than being in the name of Jesus for his glory. You can place Jesus onto your life, or you can place your life into Jesus, but you can't do both. You have to decide. How many people just sprinkle a little Jesus on their life? And how few actually plunge their life into Jesus, losing their life in order that they may find his life. So many believers just add Jesus to their life like an accoutrement, as if it's a design enhancement or an add-on feature to upgrade your status or quality of life. That's why the Holy Spirit said in Galatians 6, verse 7, don't be deceived, God is not mocked. Whatever a man sows, he will also reap. Because the one who sows to his flesh will reap corruption from the flesh, but the one who sows to the spirit will reap eternal life from the spirit. So at no point in our life can we ever fool God. At no point in our life can we sound religious by tacking his name on something when we're not actually baptized into his very own character and nature and authority. It's not a certain kind of prayer God hears, it's a certain kind of person. And it's someone who's been baptized into the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. A couple of weeks ago, we watched the State of the Union address. How many of you watched the State of the Union Address? Anybody? Raise your hand. I want to see. How many of you watched it? You need to watch it. It was crazy. But we were watching it, and you know how when it's when you're watching it's on, and it's just the camera's just in the in the um uh what's it called, the house, right? And the camera's just in there, and you're just watching people mingle and visit and you're hearing all the chatter and stuff, and it's just a live camera. You just get to sit there and watch it. And then all of a sudden, uh President Trump starts to walk in. And he's coming in slow and he's shaking hands and he's hugging. And and we kept noticing, it was interesting, we kept noticing these people who would be like leaning, leaning in, trying to get his attention, you know, trying to get his attention, and then he would come over to him and shake their hand, and then they would pull out their phone and they would go, and they would take a selfie with them. Did you see that? Did anybody else see that? And I was like, what are they doing? They just took a selfie with President Trump at the State of the Union address. Like, he doesn't have more important things to be doing than taking a selfie with you. And they're taking these self completely oblivious to what he was carrying on his shoulders in that moment. All they could think about was how this moment would help their vain self-image. They had an opportunity to infuse the president of the United States with encouragement and to help lift a little bit of a burden off of him. And instead, they said, Can we take a selfie? With Trump. Everyone who took that picture, I don't know who they were, they posted that on their social media, guarantee. They shared it with somebody. Here's what I know for a fact about those people. Every one of those people who did that, they have no genuine relationship or access to him. They were opportunists, taking advantage of an opportunity to be close enough to him. Maybe they met before in a meeting. They're probably in some governmental position. But they don't have genuine relationship or access to him because anybody that does would never do that. They only wanted the appearance that they have it. The people in that room that actually walk with Trump would never take a selfie with him, especially not in a moment like that. But how many American believers are just taking a selfie with Jesus? Just taking a selfie with Jesus. Show up to church on Sunday, selfie with Jesus. Post a scripture on socials, selfie with Jesus. And they don't even know what it means because it's the letter without the Spirit. And it's sad to me because as a pastor of a church now, we've been pastor of River Life Church for six months. This month is six months. And I've been in ministry for two dec over two decades. I mean, 20 plus years we've been in ministry, we've stewarded ministries, we've done different things, and in this season, it's different. We're feeling different burdens. I come with burdens before you on a weekly basis, and I my hope is that I could use the text that the Holy Spirit could speak and to help mature us and grow us, that we would be fruitful Christians, fruitful, genuine followers of Christ, disciples of Jesus. Unfortunately, I believe that the majority of American Western Christians are posers. They're just adding Jesus to their life. They're believers, but they're not losing their life in him. They're not submitting their whole hearts to all of his authority, his character, and his nature. They're not abiding. They're just adding, they're just sprinkling a little Jesus on their life. It's sad, but it's true. It's sad. They're believers, but they're not disciples. And what I see with Jesus is I see this pattern of him always creating invitations for people. And Jesus had a different message that he shared with unbelievers. And he was always inviting them to become believers. And then to believers, he had a different message, and he was always inviting them to become followers. And then with the followers, he shared different things with them that he didn't share with the believers, that he didn't share with the unbelievers. He had a different message for them, and it was always about becoming a disciple. And then the disciples got different teaching from Jesus. By the way, they were the only ones that he gave authority and power. He didn't give authority and power to followers. He didn't give authority and power to believers. He gave authority and power to disciples. Why? Because they were the ones who didn't go home at the end of the day. The crowds showed up to hear him teach, and then they went home and lived their life. The disciples left everything to follow and serve and learn from Jesus. They gave up their stuff. That's what made them disciples. That's what made them trustworthy to be given authority and power. So the only ones that got authority and power were disciples. And then what he did after he had all authority and power is he gathered the disciples and he said, Go and make disciples of every nation, baptizing them in the name of the Father, in the name of the Son, in the name of the Holy Spirit. In other words, I want you to help people get in me, submit their life in me, then they will start to see the power and the authority that I have flowing. Then they will start to see my will coming into their life. That's amazing. I mean, I don't see in the name the same anymore. That's my prayer. When you say in the name of Jesus after you pray, let it serve as a reminder to make sure you're actually in the name of Jesus. Because it's not a certain kind of prayer that he hears and responds to with supernatural power, signs, wonders, and miracles. It's a certain kind of person. It's a person who has said, My life doesn't belong to me anymore. My life is not my own. I've been purchased with a price, and I am going to fully, totally surrender control of my life. I'm going to plunge it, I'm going to lose it into everything that he is, everything that he has, and everything that he does. His very own character, nature, and authority. I feel a renewed awareness to make sure that I'm really submitted to his authority, that my life is really laid down. And so I want to be that kind of follower of Jesus, that kind of disciple that is in him and helping other people be in him. I don't want to be opposer. I don't want to be just tacking his name on stuff. You know, I've noticed over the years, Melanie, you can come on back up. I've noticed over the years when people share very intimate and important things on social media, it's because they're posers. When they share the intimacy they have in their marriage, here's I've seen this, I've seen this now for so many years, especially with the invention of social media. When you see these people sharing these ooey-gooey, intimate things, oh, my husband got me these roses and he's so sweet, and he leaves me love notes in the morning, and he does all that. The worst marriages I've ever seen are those people. I'm not kidding you. I've seen it over and over, and I see it, and I'm like, I know them. Their marriage actually isn't that good. And then it never fails. I'd be counseling them, they'd be on the verge of divorce. And I'm like, you just posted this thing. Like, what are you doing? Posers. That's what that is. That's, I just want the appearance that everything is great, but I'm not willing to do the thing that really gives the fruit of the kingdom of God. Does that make sense? Can I say that? Well, it doesn't matter, I guess. I did. I said it. Humility doesn't do that. Humility has the real deal and doesn't care if anybody else knows about it. I'm just content with the position that I have with her. There's no insecurity there, so there's no need to try to prove anything to anybody, right? I don't post, I don't, I don't share my intimate moments with the Lord. I don't share my intimate moments with my spouse because I don't have anything to prove. I'm not posing, I'm not propping anything up. It's a good feeling. There's a lot of pressure, there's a lot of rest in that. I'm just abiding. I'm just abiding, making sure that my life is hidden with him in Christ. Amen. It is no longer I that live, but he that lives in me and I in him. Let's stand together. We can hit those lights for just a minute. We're not gonna take long, but listen to me. I feel like we need to respond today. I don't always do this. Let me move this. I didn't do it. We just lost keys. You good kinda here we go. So let's just bow our heads. I don't I don't know if if this spoke to you specifically, if you felt conviction. It's never condemnation, it's always conviction. Conviction is an opportunity to grow, an opportunity to to realize something important. God loves you too much for you to get wrong. God loves you too much for there to be deception for you to think that something is one thing when it's really another. But what I want to say, if this word ministered to you, if you felt the Holy Spirit saying, It's time, it's time to return, or it's time to get more serious, it's time to really submit, control, authority, to really be in the name of Jesus. Maybe it's just a renewed commitment, maybe it's you're you're just saying, I feel like God's speaking to me, and I want to respond. I want to invite you to just come up to the front. Come up to the front. It's not of an admission of I've I've been a poser. You're not you're not coming down here saying I'm a poser. You you may be a genuine follow. You may really be in him, but you felt like you needed you, this was speaking to you, this was ministering to you, was challenging you, and you want to respond. I want to open up the altar for a time of response. And you can stay up here as long as you want. Melanie's gonna just sing and let the Lord minister to you, and he'll minister to you right at your seat. My prayer right now is that our hearts would be open and that we would say, Search me, oh God, if there's anything in me that is not authentic, that is not authentically surrendered to your authority, point it out. If I'm just slapping you on top of my life, if I'm just putting you on as a an accoutrement, a piece of jewelry, something to dress my life up, don't leave today without responding and repenting of that. Lord, we collectively and individually we repent of the times that we've just put you on top of ourself. That we flippantly approached you, that we've attempted to pray for miracles, signs, and wonders without really being submitted to your authority. My prayer is that as we genuinely submit to your authority, we would actually see the signs, wonders, and miracles.