Lesson 19

MOST IMPORTANT WORD

Table of Contents

– Pop Quiz
– In His Name
– For His Name
– Seed Not Seed(s)

Scriptures Cited:
Deuteronomy 8:3, Matthew 4:4, Acts 4:12, Matthew 1:22, Revelation 22:16, Philippians 2:9-11, Acts 8:12, Mark 1:15, 1 John 5:11-13, 1 Corinthians 6:9-11, John 3:5, Colossians 3:17, Acts 15:23-26, Acts 21:13, Acts 4:18-19, Acts 5:28-29, Acts 5:33-39, Acts 5:40-41, Acts 9:15-16, Galatians 3:16, Matthew 28:19, Acts 2:38

POP QUIZ

You may remember that in our first three lessons (Games, Puzzles, Riddles, Come be Filled, The Way of the Lord), there were assessment questions at the end. But this lesson will be a little bit different. We are going to start with a pop quiz. Just like in school, there were times when you would show up and the next thing you know… uh-oh, there’s a pop quiz. And the first question of this “quiz” is actually a fill in the blank.

1) Fill in the blank: “Man shall not live by bread alone, but __________________________.”

The answer is found in Deuteronomy 8:3 and Matthew 4:4 “Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God.”

This verse shows us that every single word in the Bible is important. You can open your Bible to any page and every word that you see is significant, which leads us to our second question:

2) Since man shall live by every word from the mouth of God – if you had to pick one word from all of the words recorded in scripture… What would you say is the most important word?

Though there are many important words in the Bible, the most important is the word by which we have salvation (Acts 4:12). And that most important word is the name of Jesus. Jesus is actually the focal point of the whole Bible. Not only that, but also the entire existence of man and his possibility for salvation are hinged around Jesus and His gospel (good news).

To highlight the importance of that word, imagine how it would change the Bible if every place where His name is written was erased. For example: “And she shall bring forth a son, and thou shalt call his name ________: for he shall save his people from their sins.” (Matthew 1:22). Or, “I ________ have sent mine angel to testify unto you these things in the churches. I am the root and the offspring of David, and the bright and morning star.“ (Revelation 22:16)

Without that word in the Bible (which is actually a name), where would that leave us? You can see that without His name you are left wondering, who could this be that is spoken of in such a way?

IN HIS NAME

So, as we have done in previous lessons, we will look at what the scriptures say by collecting “witnesses” that speak on this most important word, the name of Jesus. Beginning in Philippians chapter 2, verses 9 through 11 we see that our first ‘witness’ is God Himself. It reads:

Philippians 2:9-11
⁹ Wherefore God also hath highly exalted him, and given him a name which is above every name:

¹⁰ That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth; ¹¹ And that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

Here we can see that God Himself has given Jesus a name that is above every name. He has given Jesus the most important name. Thinking back to the question of “What is the most important word?” – the Bible tells us that Jesus has been given the most highly exalted name, the most important name.  

Can you think of another word in the Bible that would outrank His name? If you look at the words on any given page in your Bible you will see words like ‘this’ and ‘the’, ‘more’ and ‘without’ etc. There are all sorts of words, even other names, but the Bible says that, the name of Jesus is above every name. How could there be any other word more important than that?

So, knowing the importance of this word (His name), and the fact that ‘man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word…’ let’s continue and see what else the Bible shows us about the importance of that word (the name of Jesus). 

Going now to the book of Acts, we will see our second “witness”, which is Phillip. In chapter 8 we read that salvation had come to the people of Samaria because they believed the preaching of Phillip. And verse 12 gives a brief description of the gospel, which brought them salvation. Verse 12 reads: 

Acts 8:12
¹² But when they believed Philip preaching the things concerning the kingdom of God, and the name of Jesus Christ, they were baptized, both men and women.

We know that Jesus Himself came preaching the gospel of the Kingdom. That was the good news, that the “Kingdom of God is at hand.” (Mark 1:15) It is the Kingdom that He came to bring to the world. But here we can see that part of preaching the Kingdom was also to preach the name of Jesus Christ. That is part of the preaching of the Kingdom. And it continues by saying that when they believed it, they were baptized. We can clearly see what Philip preached – The kingdom of God and the name of Jesus Christ.  

Next we will go and get the witness of the apostle John to see what he might have to say about that word/name. We will go to 1 John chapter 5, and we’re going to focus on the 13th verse. 

One interesting thing to note is that unlike Paul, who begins many of his letters by addressing who he is writing to, John waits until the end for the address. In either case, it is important to keep in mind who the letters are written to. Again verse 13 is our focus, but we will begin in verse 11 for a little context. 

1 John 5:11-13
¹¹ And this is the record, that God hath given to us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. ¹² He that hath the Son hath life; and he that hath not the Son of God hath not life.

¹³ These things have I written unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God;

Note: And so I’ll just stop there and ask, what is the name of the Son of God? Jesus. So, he’s saying ‘I’m writing this to people who have believed on the name of Jesus.’ Continuing on…

that ye may know that ye have eternal life, and that ye may believe on the name of the Son of God.

John is letting us know that the belief on that name is important and the people who had believed on that name are the ones who he was writing this letter to. 

Next, we will look at something that the apostle Paul had to say in 1 Corinthians chapter 6 about that name and the importance of it. To give some context, this letter to the Corinthians was written to correct a lot of the trouble and errors occurring in that church. It seems that they were prone to going in the wrong direction a bit, just as many are today. We will pick up in verse 9 as Paul is giving them a warning and some correction:

1 Corinthians 6:9-10
⁹ Know ye not that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God?

Note: So, that’s similar to what we just saw with Philip; he was preaching the Kingdom of God. And here we see Paul also referencing that the unrighteous shall not inherit the Kingdom of God. Continuing…

Be not deceived: neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor abusers of themselves with mankind,
¹⁰ Nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners, shall inherit the kingdom of God.

And now in verse 11, we see that ‘most important word’ in relation to the cleansing of our sins.

1 Corinthians 6:11
¹¹ And such were some of you: but ye are washed, but ye are sanctified, but ye are justified in the name of the Lord Jesus, and by the Spirit of our God.

Here we see Paul listing all of those different sins. And even if we haven’t committed those in particular, each of us still falls in the category of being sinners in our lifetime. But we see Paul writing to the church here, ‘such were some of you, but you are washed, sanctified and justified.’ Then he says ‘in the name of our Lord Jesus‘ and ‘by the Spirit of God.’

So, you can even ask yourself, what does it mean to be justified in the name of the Lord Jesus? And in the Spirit of God? And I’ll give you a hint, it is one thing that has two parts. Perhaps John chapter 3 verse 5 is a cross reference that you could use, if you are wondering what it means to be justified in the name and by the Spirit. But we won’t go there in this lesson.

We will find our next witness in the book of Colossians, chapter 3. The apostle Paul here makes an interesting statement about that most important word. Keep in mind, he writes these letters to the different churches, giving them instructions and correction. And in verse 17 of Colossians chapter 3, it reads:

Colossians 3:17
¹⁷ 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.

Here we see it clearly, that as Paul is addressing the church he says ‘Whatever you do, whether it be in word or in deed do it all in the name of the Lord.’ And this is actually one of the reasons why when we do give thanks or when we say a prayer, at the end of our prayer we say ‘in Jesus name.’ Giving a prayer is something that we do in deed, and it is also something that we do in word. So, when it comes to the things of the Lord and the things of the church, let it all be done in the name of Jesus Christ.

FOR HIS NAME

Now that we have seen the importance of the name of Jesus, I want to look at a few scriptures that show us what the apostles were willing to do for His name. If we turn to the book of Acts in chapter 15, we see the letter that the apostles wrote in response to the false teaching that Gentiles needed to be circumcised in order to be saved. Beginning in verse 23 it reads:

Acts 15:23-26
²³ And they wrote letters by them after this manner;
The apostles and elders and brethren send greeting unto the brethren which are of the Gentiles in Antioch and Syria and Cilicia.

²⁴ Forasmuch as we have heard, that certain which went out from us have troubled you with words, subverting your souls, saying, Ye must be circumcised, and keep the law: to whom we gave no such commandment: ²⁵ It seemed good unto us, being assembled with one accord, to send chosen men unto you with our beloved Barnabas and Paul, ²⁶ Men that have hazarded their lives for the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.

We can see here that those in the early church were putting their lives at risk. And the Bible tells us that what they were actually risking their lives for – was for the name of Jesus Christ. It was literally His name.

We also see the same testimony coming from Paul’s own words in Acts chapter 21, and verse 13. Paul was about to go to Jerusalem and knew that he would be persecuted there. Those who were with Paul were crying and weeping, trying to convince him not to go. But this is what Paul’s response was to them:

Acts 21:13
¹³ Then Paul answered, What mean ye to weep and to break mine heart? for I am ready not to be bound only, but also to die at Jerusalem for the name of the Lord Jesus.

We can see that Paul was willing to suffer persecution and even die for the name of Jesus, showing us again the importance of that name.

The other apostles also suffered persecution for that name, as we can see in Acts chapter 4. The religious leaders that persecuted them were particularly opposed to the name of Jesus as we see in verse 18.

Acts 4:18-19
¹⁸ And they called them, and commanded them not to speak at all nor teach in the name of Jesus.¹⁹ But Peter and John answered and said unto them, Whether it be right in the sight of God to hearken unto you more than unto God, judge ye.

Though the apostles were told not to speak or teach in the name of Jesus, they continued sharing the gospel in His name. Because of this, they were brought before the council a second time. And in chapter 5 verse 28 we see that it was again the name of Jesus that the rulers did not want the apostles teaching in.

Acts 5:28-29
²⁸ Saying, Did not we straitly command you that ye should not teach in this name? and, behold, ye have filled Jerusalem with your doctrine, and intend to bring this man’s blood upon us. ²⁹ Then Peter and the other apostles answered and said, We ought to obey God rather than men.

After being told a second time, we see that the apostles still thought it better to obey God rather than men. In verses 33 to 39, one of the Pharisees realized that if this doctrine of Jesus was truly of God, they could do nothing to stop it. Then in verse 40 it says:

Acts 5:40-41
⁴⁰ And to him they agreed: and when they had called the apostles, and beaten them, they commanded that they should not speak in the name of Jesus, and let them go.

Note: Notice the apostles were beaten in an attempt to stop the preaching of Jesus.

⁴¹ And they departed from the presence of the council, rejoicing that they were counted worthy to suffer shame for his name.

So we can see that after being beaten, the apostles rejoiced that they were worthy to suffer shame… and if we pay close attention to what it is that they were happy to suffer for… it was for His name.

We will look at one last place that also testifies of what the apostles were suffering for. In Acts chapter 9, we have the words of Jesus as He spoke to Ananias in a vision concerning the work that He had chosen Paul to do. Beginning in verse 15 we read:

Acts 9:15-16
¹⁵ But the Lord said unto him, Go thy way: for he is a chosen vessel unto me, to bear my name before the Gentiles, and kings, and the children of Israel: ¹⁶ For I will shew him how great things he must suffer for my name’s sake.

Jesus Himself was letting Ananias know that the suffering which Paul would go through, all the persecution and hard times – it was going to be for the name of Jesus Christ. In those days, simply preaching that name could very well get you killed. And the fact that there is still persecution in the world today for preaching that name, is another witness to the power and importance of the name of Jesus.

There are many other examples we could go to, but hopefully we have set a good foundation and understanding on the importance of that name.

SEED NOT SEED(S)

With that being said, I want to look at this from one other perspective. Let’s keep in mind that we began this lesson with the importance of every word, and also the most important word.

We will shift gears a bit and go to the book of Galatians in chapter 3. Similar to what we read in Acts 15, there was a problem in Galatia because Gentile believers were being falsely taught that they needed to be circumcised, and brought under the law.

Paul writes this letter to the Galatians to help them understand that we are under a new covenant. There is a new thing that God has done, and it is through Jesus Christ that we now have salvation. And it is very interesting how Paul explains this, using a precise understanding of the Old Testament to help them better understand the New Covenant.

In Galatians chapter 3 verse 16, we see Paul talking about the promises that God made to Abraham. It reads:

Galatians 3:16
¹⁶ Now to Abraham and his seed were the promises made. He saith not, And to seeds, as of many; but as of one, And to thy seed, which is Christ.

Now you might be wondering ‘Okay, what are we talking about here? Where are we going with this?’ Well, if we pay close attention, the apostle Paul is clarifying the promises made to Abraham and specifically the words used when they were given. And if you remember when we started this lesson, we saw that man shall not live by bread alone but by every word…

This is what Paul is doing here, he’s saying ‘Remember back in the Old Testament when that promise was made to Abraham?… You’ve got to pay attention to every word.’ Paul draws our attention to the fact that when God made that promise, he didn’t say to seeds as of many – he said seed as of one. That is how particular Paul is being about the importance of every word – not just every word, but even the importance of the letter at the end of a word.

This detail makes all the difference in understanding the promises made to Abraham. It was not made to the “seeds”, which is generally what the people of Israel thought (that they were all the seeds of Abraham). But Paul is saying ‘No, that promise was made to a seed – one.

And this argument shows how we must pay attention to the importance of every word. Paul explains how Jesus is the fulfillment of that promise by closely examining every word concerning that “seed” of promise.

The reason I wanted to point out the importance of every word, even down to the very letter is because it helps us to better understand one of Jesus’ most important instructions, which is in Matthew chapter 28 verse 19. This is also something we briefly touched on in the very first lesson “Games, Puzzles, and Riddles” and using this biblical reasoning, it shows the importance of every letter and every word. In Matthew chapter 28 verse 19 we have what is called the “Great Commission” that Jesus gave right before he ascended into Heaven:

Matthew 28:19
¹⁹ Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost:

Keeping in mind what we read in Galatians and now coming here, notice that it says ‘baptizing them in the name…’ – it does not say ‘name(s) as of many, it says name as of one. In order for us to understand the scriptures properly, we have pay attention to every word… to the letter. And remember, we are talking about the importance of every word and the most important word, which is Jesus.

In this lesson alone, we have looked at many ‘witnesses’ that testify to the name of Jesus. As John said in his letter, written to those who believed on His name. Paul said ‘you are justified in His name’. Paul also said to ‘do all IN the name…’ All these scriptures help us to understand what Peter said on the day of Pentecost, when it was time to fulfill the “Great Commission” given by Jesus. When the people asked ‘men and brethren, what must we do?’, Peter’s response was ‘repent every one of you and be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ, for the remission of your sins.’ (Acts 2:38)

Hopefully by now we can all understand what the most important word is, especially when it comes to salvation. As the scripture says, ‘He that hath an ear, let him hear’.

We encourage you to do all things in the name of the Lord Jesus, as the apostles did and instructed. As always, feel free to contact us if you have any questions about the lessons or if you have a desire to grow closer to God – in Jesus’ name.