I hope your Bible is with me
to Acts chapter 3. Let me read a few verses of scripture
from 3 and 4. From Acts chapter 3 and also
Acts chapter 4. And let me tell you about Larry
Chris. Everybody here knows Brother Larry. He's in the hospital in
Birmingham. He'd been hurting for quite a
while. And he's in the hospital, and now he's got a bacteria infection
that's moving through his body by degrees. And going down his
left leg. So he needs our prayers that
the Lord would, doctors are baffled. They don't know what's up. That's
what Robin told me. But well, we love him, love his
gospel. And he's been here many, many
times. And so we want to remember him. Now, Peter and John went
up together into the temple to pray at the hour of prayer being
the ninth hour. A certain man lame from his mother's
womb was carried whom they laid daily at the gate of the temple,
which is called beautiful to ask alms of them that entered
into the temple. who, seeing Peter and John about
to go into the temple, asked in alms. And Peter, fastening
his eyes upon him with John, said, Look on us. And he gave
heed unto them, expecting to receive something of them. Now
he received something, but it wasn't what he was expecting.
Then Peter said, Silver and gold have I none, but such as I have,
I give thee in the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, rise up and
walk and he took him by the right hand lifted him up and immediately
his feet and ankle bones received strength and he leaping up stood
leaping up stood and walked and entered into them within the
temple walking and leaping and praising god and all the people
saw him walking in praise in god and they knew that it was
he was set for arms at the beautiful gate of the temple And they were
filled with wonder and amazement at that which had happened unto
him. And as the lame man which was healed held Peter and John,
all the people ran together unto them in the port that is called
Solomon's, greatly wondering." And we talk about holding them,
that means he is hugging them. He had his arms around both those
men. That's what he's talking about.
He wasn't just got them at home. He had his arms around them.
He was blessing God for me, just hugging them fellas up tight
to him, that's what he was doing. And oh my, and then in verse
12, and when Peter saw it, he answered unto the people, you
men of Israel, why marvel ye at this? Or why look ye so earnestly
on us, as though by our own power or holiness we had made this
man to walk? The God of Abraham, and of Isaac,
and of Jacob, the God of our fathers, hath glorified his son
Jesus, whom ye delivered up, and denied in the presence of
Pilate, when he was determined to let him go. But ye denied
the Holy One and the just, and desired a murderer to be granted
unto you, and killed the Prince of life, whom God hath raised
from the dead, whereof we are witnesses. And this is what I
want you to see, and his name through faith in his name, hath
made this man strong, whom you see and know. Yea, the faith
which is by him, hath given him this perfect soundness in the
presence of you all. Now, down in verse seven, here
of chapter four. Now they got him in front of
the Sanhedrin. And when they had set them in
the midst, they asked, by what power or by what name have you
done this, healing this lame man? Then Peter, filled with
the Holy Ghost, said unto them, Ye rulers of the people, and
elders of Israel, If we this day be examined of the good deed
done to this impotent man, by what means he is made whole,
be it known unto you all, and to all the people of Israel,
that by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom ye crucified,
whom God raised from the dead, even by him doeth this man stand
here before you whole. This is the stone which was set
at nought of you builders, which is become the head of the corner.
Is there salvation in any other? For there is none other name
under heaven given among men whereby we must be saved. He is, he is, he is. Now look
with me back here in Acts chapter 4 and there in verse 12 it says
neither is there salvation in any other name for there is no
other name given under heaven. And you remember in chapter three
when it said that this through his name, this man stands here
before you hold. And title of my message this
evening is what's in a name? What's in a name? Well, it's
according to whose name you're talking about. It's according
to whose name. If you're talking about my name,
nothing. Talking about your name, nothing. And there's lots of
people in the scriptures that when I mention their names, you
automatically know who I'm talking about. Because a name means identity. It means identity. When I speak
of Adam, everybody knows exactly who I'm talking about. What he
did, what he did to us, what he did before God, how he plunged
us all into sin. And then if you mention Noah,
everybody knows who I'm talking about when I mention Noah. Abraham,
Jacob, or Esau. If I mention Simon Peter, everybody
here knows who I'm talking about. If I mention Judas Iscariot,
there's names that you recognize and those names you identify
things with them from the scriptures. So what's in a name? What's in
a name? Well, our Lord Jesus Christ here
Our Lord Jesus, well let me show you this before I set my message
up like this. John 5, 43. What's in a name? Well, it's according to whose
name it is. And when we're talking about our Lord Jesus Christ,
I'm gonna give you several things that's in His name. What's in
a name? In His name, everything we need,
Jesus Christ is made to me, all I need, all I need. That's what
Peter said, there's no other name. given, given, and God gave
this name. God gave him this name. God gave
him a name that's above everything. God gave him the name that through
this man, through Jesus Christ, there's no other name under heaven,
and that covers a lot of territory, under heaven, whereby we must
be saved other than Jesus Christ, nobody else. And look what our
Lord said here in John 5.43, I am come in my Father's name,
and ye receive me not. Come in my Father's name, you
won't take me, you won't receive me. But if another shall come
in his own name, you'll receive him. But I tell you what, let's
talk about what's in the name. The first thing I want to say
what's in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ is salvation. Salvation's in His blessed name.
Over in Psalm 106 and verse 8, it says there that God saved
us. For what? For His namesake, the
Lord Jesus Christ's namesake. And it says in John 1.12, it
says that, to as many as received Him, to them gave He power to
become the sons of God, which were born, not of the will of
flesh, not of blood, not of man, but of God. And our Lord Jesus
Christ, there's no other name given among men. and John said
it like this he says these things are written that you might believe
that Jesus Christ is the Son of God and that believing you
might have life eternal life what through his name now Peter
was over there and John was going up to the temple to pray at three
o'clock in the afternoon hour of prayer They had a time where
they'd meet and they'd go up to the temple and they'd pray.
The hour of prayer. On their way in there, there
was a poor beggar sitting there, lame from his mother's womb.
And old Peter said, look at us, look at us. That old boy perked
up and said, boy, I tell you what, I'm going to get some money
today. I'm going to be fixed today. And old Peter looked at
him and he said, I ain't got no money. Most preachers don't. I ain't got no money. I ain't
got no silver. I ain't got no gold. I'm just
a poor preacher. I ain't got nothing except Jesus
Christ. But he said, I'm going to give
you something. I'm going to give you something. And what I give
you, I'll give it to you in the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth. Rise up and walk. That's how much power is in that
name. That name heals the sick. That name saves sinners. That
name gives comfort to sinners. That name, beloved, makes us,
who do we call on for salvation every day? Romans 10, 13, whosoever
shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved. And that's who we call on. His
name, our salvation is in His blessed name. He saved us for
His name's sake. And then let me tell you something
else about His name. God answers prayer only through
Him. God answers prayer. God answers
prayer and we pray to Him, but whose name do we use? Now, we
don't use it as a magic talisman or nothing like that. There's
people that use names of their gods as magic talisman. If they
say something and repeat it often enough, that God will finally
get up and do something for them. But according to the scriptures,
God will not answer prayers only through the Lord Jesus Christ.
I don't think I can make that good. Look with me over in John
14. John 14. Prayers answered through the
Lord Jesus Christ. That's why we say for Christ's
sake, for Christ's sake hear us. Look here in verse 13. And whatsoever you shall ask
in my name, that will I do. And this is the reason that I'll
do it, that the father may be glorified in the son. And if
you shall ask anything in my name, I will do. Now, let me
ask you something. Does that mean we ask anyone,
so ever we ask Him, that He's going to give it to us? If you
ask for a new car, you're going to get a new car. If you ask
for new furniture, you're going to get a new furniture. Is that
the things He's talking about here when you ask for things?
He said, I want my Father to be glorified first and foremost
when you call on me. I want my Father to be glorified.
And what is it that we ask Christ for? We never ask Him for material
things. We don't, we ask for spiritual
things and this is spiritual things he's talking about. It's
the things that we need spiritually. We need grace, where do we get
it? God's glorified in giving us
grace through his son. We need mercy, God is glorified
giving us mercy through his son. We need patience. We need forgiveness. We need righteousness. Everything
we need, God has glorified and given them through us in His
blessed Son. And then people take these things
about asking for things and they'll put, I've seen people put things
up on their refrigerator and say, God said, if I would believe,
I could get that. I tell you, anybody can get a
car if they got credit. Anybody can get a car if they
got the money. But we're talking about our Lord said, ask of me
and what you will. And He's talking about spiritual
things. You don't have to ask Him for
a house. He doesn't told you He's going
to give you a place to eat. You don't have to ask for clothes.
He doesn't told you in clothing. You don't have to ask for food.
He said He'll feed you. He said, that's the things the
heathen ask us. You don't even have to ask me
for them. I'll give you all that. You know what Solomon asked for?
Lord, he said, I'm just a child. I'm just a child. I don't know
how to go out and I don't know how to come back. So all I want
to know, all I want you to do for me is give me wisdom to know
how to deal with your children. Spiritual things, spiritual things. Oh my, and then let me give you
another thing that's in the name. What's in the name? Salvation's
in the name. Prayers answered in the name
of our Lord Jesus Christ. And hope, blessed, blessed hope
is in this name, the Lord Jesus Christ. Peter, or excuse me,
Timothy said, Paul said to Timothy, he said, elect, God's elect,
said, I write to God's elect through Jesus Christ, which is
our hope, who is our hope. He is called our hope. And what
is hope? That man in, Acts chapter 3 there. He fastened
his eyes on them expecting to receive something. When he said,
look on us, hope rose up in his heart. Hope rose up in his eyes. Hope rose up in him and said,
I'll get something wonderful today off of these men. But he
didn't have any idea what was going to happen to him. And beloved
hope, Christ is our hope. How sweet the name. of Jesus
sounds in a believer's ear soothes his sores, heals his wounds,
and dries away his fears. You know when Bartimaeus was
up that tree, when our Lord Jesus Christ said, Bartimaeus, do you
know what hope filled that man's heart? That he knows my name
and knows where I'm at. He knows where I'm at. He knows
my name. Bartimaeus, I'm going to your
house today. Oh, what hope filled that man's
heart. What blessed hope come into that soul's name. Oh, my. Barnabas called his name when
he was sitting there. Zacchaeus was up the tree, come
down out of that tree. And then Mary in Luke chapter
7, she was found at the feet of the Lord Jesus Christ, weeping,
weeping, washing his feet. Then took the hairs of her head
and dried them. And old Simon said, boy, what an awful sinner
this is. This man don't know nothing. Man don't know nothing.
And our Lord Jesus told him all that he didn't do for him, but
this woman did it since she got there. And this is what he said.
Her sins, which are many, they're forgiven. And do you know what
hope she had to know that her sins, which were many, were gone? She had many, many, many, and
they're gone. And I tell you, beloved, He is
our hope. And what a hope we have in Him.
And hope means a confident expectation. When we talk about Christ being
our hope, that hope always has to do with the future. Hope always
has to do with the future. Faith has to do with right now.
Believe in God right now. But hope looks out. Hope looks
away. Hope looks away. It's like, and
I've used this illustration before, it's like a father that's been
off working and been gone for several days. And he calls and
tells his family, he said, I'll be home in just a couple hours. The little boy, he cries up and
looks out the window. He believes that his daddy said,
I'm coming home. But he looks out that window,
expecting to see him. He hopes that he'll watch him
pull up. He hopes that he'll see him come
down the road. And that's what we do. We believe that Christ
said he is coming again, that we have salvation in his name,
but our blessed hope looks outside ourselves and looks for the future
of what he's got for us in the future. And you know what? It
don't make no difference what happens to us each and every
day. Christ is our hope. I have no other hope in this
world besides him. Start Marcus breaking records,
but that's not salvation. Hope's in Christ. Hope's not
in this world. Hope's not in anything that you
can test, touch, handle, wear, or buy, or ride in. Hope is outside
ourselves, and it's in Christ. Huh? Oh, bless His holy name. No wonder again how sweet the
name of Jesus sounds in a believer's ear. Soothes his sorrows. heals
his wounds, drives away his fear. Oh, how sweet it is. And let
me tell you another thing that's in the name of our Lord Jesus
Christ. A refuge is in the name. I showed it to you the other
night, Proverbs 18.10, where I said the name, the name of
the Lord is a strong tower. They're going to build that tower
to heaven. And we have a tower. The name of the Lord is a strong
tower. The name is. We hide in a name. And the name is like a strong
tower. Great up here. A place of refuge. A place of hiding. And he that
runneth into it is safe. Runs where? Into that name. Into
that precious name. Hide behind that name. And oh,
look over here in Acts, excuse me, Isaiah 32. Oh, he's a refuge. And what a blessed refuge he
is. You know what he's the greatest refuge against? Two things, three
things. Let me give them to you quickly.
First of all, he's a refuge from the holiness and righteousness
and justice of God. Oh, if you're gonna, if you,
the safest place to keep God from punishing a man is to be
in Christ. Isn't that right? To be in that
blessed name. And secondly, sin. The thing that can destroy us
is sin. We've got to have a refuge from
sin and death. And what three things can harm
us? Listen, we've got a name and
it's a strong tower. Strong That name's been attacked,
that name's been under assault, that name's been ridiculed, that
name's been used in vain, that name's been used as a byword,
but it's still the blessed hiding place you got on the face of
this earth, right? Look over here in Isaiah 32.
Behold, a king shall reign in righteousness, and princes shall
rule in judgment. And listen to this, and a man,
And a man should be as a hiding place from the wind. Oh, when
the winds of trial and the winds of persecution and the winds
of this world and the winds of sin come blowing on us. And then
he's a covert from the tempest. And no great storm comes like
these hurricanes that's been coming through. He said, you
know, a covert, a place to get inside. And look what else he
says. and has rivers of water and a
dry place. Oh my goodness, dry. And then
here comes a river. And look what else he said. As
the shadow of a great rock in a weary land. Shade, place it
down. A shade. So he's a refuge. His name is a refuge for us to
hide in. A salvation, prayer answered,
hope, a refuge. And then his presence. And his
name is, his presence is his name. He said, to as many as
two or three are gathered together in what? My name. Not gathered
together around a preacher, not gathered together around a doctor,
not gathered together around Calvinism, but gathered together
in my name, wherever two or three, two, two, or three. two or three
is gathered in my name. And you know, let me tell you
something about that. How many times have you been with somebody
and talked with somebody and be visited with somebody, be
you and a couple other people and you start talking about Christ
and the things of Christ and the next thing you know the Lord's
right there and you're excited and you're refreshed and you're
blessed and you're encouraged and the Lord you know it's just
it's amazing how you'll come. He said where two or three are
gathered together in my name and that's the key Gathering
in His name. Gathering in His name. And I
tell you what happens to people that gather in His name. What
kind of people gathers in the name of the Lord? Sinners. Sinners. People that have a need. You
know, that's the only kind of people that... Everybody here
tonight, except some of these children, I'm sure, would say,
yeah, I'm a sinner. That's why I'm here. I need a
Savior. I'm here because I need strength. I need encouragement.
And not only just we gather in his name, but we gather in need
of mercy. We're here because we're mercy
beggars. We need mercy and we want to hear about mercy. We
want to hear where that mercy comes from. We want to understand
that it is a mercy because we got nothing to offer. No, not
only that, but we're here because we need righteousness. And the
only one who's got righteousness is our Lord Jesus Christ, and
we want to hear about His righteousness. And the righteousness He accomplished,
the righteousness that He gives us, the righteousness that He
closes us with. And we're here, we gather in
His name because we believe Him. We have faith. We believe Him. We believe His name. We believe
His work. We believe His person. We trust
Him. And that's why we gather in his
name. Are we here in his name tonight? Are we here because
of Christ? Why else would we be here? I know everybody wants
to be here. I mean, we're here because we
want to be here. But we're here. Shirley told
me this morning, she said, oh, she said, I need a message. I
need a comforting message tonight. I hope this is what it is for.
I really do, sweetie. I hope it is. I hope it's a wonderful
message to comfort you. But I tell you what, we're here
in His name to hear of Him. There'd be no other reason for
us to meet. There'd be no other reason for us to meet except
to gather around in His name and honor His blessed name and
lift up His name and brag on Him and glorify Him. Oh my. And let me tell you something.
Here's the sixth thing. His presence is one refuge, hope,
prayers, answers, salvation. Here's another one. All true
preaching is in His name. All true preaching. Look in Luke
24 with me. Luke 24. All true preaching is
in His name. Look in Luke 24 with me. In verse
46. Todd, he told me here a while
back when he has his conference December the 8th through the
10th. He's going to ask all the men to make the gospel. He said,
whatever you do, make the gospel to be the thing. Now, you shouldn't
have to tell people that. But yet, you have to because
somebody, you know, several once in a while, somebody get a hobby
horse or something and they want to straighten somebody out. But
if all true preaching, here's the key to true preaching, does
it exalt the Lord Jesus Christ and does it put man down? That's
the two keys to, does it give him the glory? and put man down. Him high, man low. And look what
he, this is what our Lord said to his disciples when they wanted
to, after he had resurrected and he was with them and he was
fixing to leave. He said here in verse 46, verse
44, let's start back up in verse 44. And he said unto them, these
are the words which I spake unto you while I was yet with you,
that all things must be fulfilled. which were written in the Law
of Moses, and in the Prophets, and in the Psalms concerning
me. Now watch what happens. Then
opened he their understanding. Who else can open it but him?
That they might understand what? The Scriptures, what God said
in His Word. And he said unto them, thus it
is written, here's our message, and thus it behoove Christ to
suffer and to rise from the dead the third day and that repentance
and remission of sins, now listen to it, should be preached in
his name among all nations. Start right here in Jerusalem
and then head out. go in every direction. But you
know what? When you preach, preach in my
name. And that's what Peter did. You find him in Acts chapter
2, chapter 3, and chapter 4, and everything he did, he pointed,
he got, his first thing he done, he accused him of crucifying
the Son of God. Second thing he said, but this
very one you crucified, God raised him from the dead. And we're
witnesses of that. And I tell you what, if you want
God want to do anything for you, you're going to have to come
to that man you crucified. It's in his name and his name
alone that God's going to do anything for you. And he'd done
that over and over again. And all we have nothing But Christ,
and that's all we got. That's what Peter told that man
in Acts 3. We have not got anything to give you. But Christ, that's
what he told that old boy. We have nothing to give you.
He said, oh, I'm going to get some money. I'm going to get
some money. Oh, no, he said, I ain't got none of that. But
I've got something to give you. And it's in this blessed name,
this blessed name. Let me give you another one.
Eternal security. is in the blessed name of the
Lord Jesus Christ. Whether you know and what that
means to them is, is that they made a profession on somebody's
altar in somebody's church. They went back out in the world
and everybody tells them, says, you know, said, I was there.
They got saved. I was there. So once they were
saved, they'll always be saved. And the Lord will bring them
back. The Lord will bring them back. Now that's not right. That's
not right. If God, if God saves you, If
God saves you, He brings you out of the world, He brings you
to His blessed Son, and the only security we have is in Him. And we are scared to totally
to death to ever, ever think about being away from Christ.
I can't imagine my security and my salvation being anywhere else
but in Christ. I would have no security if I
believed for a while and went back out into the world. I wouldn't
have no security in that. I wouldn't have no security if
I went out here and just fell all over sin and fell deep into
sin. But my security and your security
is only in Christ. He said, All that the Father
gives me shall come to me, and him that cometh to me, there
ain't nothing, nothing, nothing, nothing, nothing that'll make
me cast him out. David sinned and committed murder. God said, Your sins are forgiven
you, David. Go on and on. Simon Peter denied
the Lord three times. That's an awful sin. But yet,
he was secure. You know why? Because Christ
prayed for him. You know why we're secure? Christ
prays for us. He's our intercessor. He makes
intercession for us. And guess what? He don't talk
about us. You know who he talks about?
He talks about himself. He talks about himself, and he
says, yes, I pray not for the world. I got nothing for the
world. I pray not for the world, but
who do I pray for? For them that you gave me out
of the world. That's who I pray for. And then
he said, Father, I will, that where I am, they may be also.
And also our security, what makes our security eternal is an eternal
Savior and an eternal God. That's what makes it secure.
And let me quickly tell you another one. The only unity, the only
unity in this world, the only true unity in this world is in
His name and for His sake. I see these young men, they go
off and get in college and these young girls go off and the girls
want to join a sorority and the men want to join a fraternity
and they become fraternity brothers and they're supposed to have
this bond for years and years and watch out for one another.
The only true unity, the only true unity in this world is those
that are joined together in Christ. Now, I think I can make that
good. I think I can. Look with me over
in Philippians 2. Philippians 2. You know, there's
a lot of things we can't agree on. A lot of things we can't
agree on. You know, we're all baptized
by one spirit. We're all baptized into one body. Whether we be Jew or Greek, bond
or free, male or female. We're all baptized into One body. One body. And I'll tell you something. Flip it, you know, here and look
what he says. Verse, chapter 2, verse 1. If there be therefore any consolation
in Christ. If there's any consolation, any
consoling we get from Christ. If any comfort of love. If any,
we have any fellowship of the Spirit of Christ. If any bowels. That bowels means hearts. If
any of my heart and my mercy. Fulfill you my joy, and this
is what I want you to do. If this things we have in Christ,
fulfill you my joy that you be like-minded, having the same
love, being of one accord, of one mind. And Paul told the Corinthians
to do the same thing. You know, let me say this. We
won't be united over our politics. Men can't be united over politics.
They can't do it. Men can't be united over money. Tell people what they're going
to do with their money, what people think they ought to do
with their money. We can't be united over how we're supposed
to raise kids. We're not going to be united
over how our homes are supposed to be. But I tell you, we can
be united in Christ. When you leave this church, everybody
goes their way, and they all got their opinion about this
political, and this money, and how to do this, and how to do
that, and why the home ought to be run, what the iPod ought
to do, and what the kids ought to do, and what y'all ought to
do. And we all go in different directions like that. But I tell
you what, when it comes to the gospel, when it comes to Christ,
we're just like that. Ain't that right? Ain't that right? Okay, let me
give you another one here. Acceptance. Acceptance. In the
name of the Lord Jesus Christ is acceptance. You know, acceptance
in worship, acceptance in prayer, acceptance in sacrifice. I want
to show you two scriptures and then I'm going to move to my
last point. Look with me. Acceptance in worship, prayer,
and sacrifice. Look in Hebrews 13.5 with me.
Hebrews 13.5. This is what I'm talking about.
Our worship is only acceptable through our Lord Jesus Christ.
Our prayer is only acceptable through our Lord Jesus. Our sacrifices,
whatever they may be, are only acceptable through Jesus Christ.
Look what he said here in verse 15. This is what I'm talking
about. By Him, by Christ, let us offer the sacrifice of praise. God calls praise a sacrifice.
The sacrifice of praise to God continually, by Him, through
Christ, that is the fruit of our lips, giving thanks to His
name. Giving thanks to His name. Now,
see, that's how we're acceptable to God. Through His name, we
offer spiritual sacrifice. 1 Peter 2, 5. 1 Peter 2, 5. Acceptance only through Him.
And everything give thanks through our Lord Jesus Christ. So everything
we, all of our sacrifices, notice that they're spiritual sacrifices.
Sacrifices of praise, the giving of thanks continually through
him, spiritual thanks. Now look what he said here in
verse five. You also as living stones are built up a spiritual
house, a holy priesthood, now listen to this, to offer up spiritual
sacrifices acceptable to God by Jesus Christ. Everything we're
doing tonight, praying, preaching, singing the song, every one of
them is made acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. That's
the only way they can be accepted. And then because of his name,
because of his, my last point, because of his name, we're all
going to get a new name. Because of his name, we're going
to get a new name. Revelation chapter two, Revelations two. Let me show you that and then
I'm done. Because of His name and because of Him, we're gonna
get a new name. Revelations 2.17. Oh my, we're
gonna get a new name because of Him. You know, we got our
name now. He gave us a new nature, but
He's gonna give us a new name. Revelations 2.17. He that hath
an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches.
To him that overcometh will I give to eat of the hidden manna, And
we'll give him a white stone, and in the stone a new name written,
which no man knoweth, saving that one that receives it. He
gonna give us a new name. We're the ones gonna know what
it is. Look over in 312. We're gonna get a new name. Him that overcometh will I make
a pillar in the temple of my God. And he shall go no more
out. And I will write upon him the
name of my God and the name of the city of my God, which is
New Jerusalem, which cometh down out of heaven from my God. And
listen to this. And I will write upon him my
new name. I wonder what kind of name he's
going to give me. I tell you, it don't make a bit
of difference to me what it is. It don't make a bit of difference
to me what it is. I just won't see him. But you
know, he gonna have to call us by some kind of a name. But it's
a name that he gives us by which he knows us. It's his name. Our
Father, the blessed, blessed, glorious name of Christ Jesus
our Lord. Thank you for allowing us to
be here tonight. Thank you for allowing us to
speak of your holy name. And I pray that by your grace,
I was enabled to magnify your name, say something glorious
about you. And Lord, for all the failings
involved in talking of you, I ask your forgiveness. I know we can't
begin to say what needs to be said. But Lord, I pray what we
say is true and right from the heart, born of love for you and
born of love for your people. Lord, I bless you. Great salvation
in all that's involved in your name and knowing you. Blessed
be your holy name. For Christ's sake, we bless you.
Amen.