THERE IS POWER IN THE NAME OF JESUS
There is a wonderful praise and worship chorus entitled “Break Every Chain” and it states the one and only power that can break every chain and that is the name of Jesus. The lyrics say:
There is power in the name of Jesus; There is power in the name of Jesus; There is power in the name of Jesus
To break every chain; Break every chain; Break every chain
There is power in the name of Jesus; There is power in the name of Jesus; There is power in the name of Jesus
To break every chain; Break every chain; Break every chain
To break every chain; Break every chain; Break every chain
All sufficient sacrifice, So freely given, Such a price, Bought our redemption, Heaven’s gates swing wide
There is power in the name of Jesus; There is power in the name of Jesus; There is power in the name of Jesus
To Break every chain; Break every chain; Break every chain
There is power in the name of Jesus; There is power in the name of Jesus; There is power in the name of Jesus
To Break every chain; Break every chain; Break every chain
To Break every chain; Break every chain; Break every chain
There’s an army rising up; There’s an army rising up; There’s an army rising up
To Break every chain; Break every chain; Break every chain
There’s an army rising up; There’s an army rising up; There’s an army rising up
To Break every chain; Break every chain; Break every chain
To Break every chain; Break every chain; Break every chain
There is power in the name of Jesus; There is power in the name of Jesus; There is power in the name of Jesus
To Break every chain; Break every chain; Break every chain
There is power in the name of Jesus; There is power in the name of Jesus; There is power in the name of Jesus
To Break every chain; Break every chain; Break every chain
To Break every chain; Break every chain; Break every chain[1]
So what does it mean there is power in the name of Jesus? John1 is a good place to start. It says “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning. Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made. In him was life, and that life was the light of all mankind. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.[2] So we’ve learned that Jesus was with God from the beginning and in him was life and that life was the light of all mankind. I don’t know about you but that sounds pretty powerful to me! Despite the fact that from the beginning darkness has tried to overcome the light, it has failed, does fail, and will fail no matter what efforts or tactics darkness uses to overcome the light.
God clearly intended for there to be Power in the name of Jesus which is demonstrated by the words written concerning His son and what He was given dominion and power to control. The Son is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. For in him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things have been created through him and for him. He is before all things, and in him all things hold together. And he is the head of the body, the church; he is the beginning and the firstborn from among the dead, so that in everything he might have the supremacy. For God was pleased to have all his fullness dwell in him, and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether things on earth or things in heaven, by making peace through his blood, shed on the cross.[3] This passage shows us that God’s desire is to reconcile Himself to all things; so much so that He sent his Son to make peace through the shedding of His blood on the cross.
The power in the name of Jesus so far exceeds any other name that we find it hard to comprehend. He was, is and always will be our intercessor with the Father. “Therefore he is able to save completely those who come to God through him, because he always lives to intercede for them. Such a high priest truly meets our need—one who is holy, blameless, pure, set apart from sinners, exalted above the heavens. Unlike the other high priests, he does not need to offer sacrifices day after day, first for his own sins, and then for the sins of the people. He sacrificed for their sins once for all when he offered himself. For the law appoints as high priests men in all their weakness; but the oath, which came after the law, appointed the Son, who has been made perfect forever.”[4] In the name of Jesus we have a high priest to intercede for us and His life, death, and resurrection gives us the opportunity to reconcile with God so that we can claim the promise of eternal life through Him and with Him.
So how does the name of Jesus break every chain? There are many passages we could explore but for the sake of simplicity I have chosen one passage that says it all. After Jesus said this, he looked toward heaven and prayed: ‘Father, the hour has come. Glorify your Son, that your Son may glorify you. For you granted him authority over all people that he might give eternal life to all those you have given him. Now this is eternal life: that they know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent. I have brought you glory on earth by finishing the work you gave me to do. And now, Father, glorify me in your presence with the glory I had with you before the world began. ‘I have revealed you to those whom you gave me out of the world. They were yours; you gave them to me and they have obeyed your word. Now they know that everything you have given me comes from you. For I gave them the words you gave me and they accepted them. They knew with certainty that I came from you, and they believed that you sent me. I pray for them. I am not praying for the world, but for those you have given me, for they are yours. All I have is yours, and all you have is mine. And glory has come to me through them. I will remain in the world no longer, but they are still in the world, and I am coming to you. Holy Father, protect them by the power of your name, the name you gave me, so that they may be one as we are one. While I was with them, I protected them and kept them safe by that name you gave me. None has been lost except the one doomed to destruction so that Scripture would be fulfilled. ‘I am coming to you now, but I say these things while I am still in the world, so that they may have the full measure of my joy within them. I have given them your word and the world has hated them, for they are not of the world any more than I am of the world. My prayer is not that you take them out of the world but that you protect them from the evil one. They are not of the world, even as I am not of it. Sanctify them by the truth; your word is truth. As you sent me into the world, I have sent them into the world. For them I sanctify myself, that they too may be truly sanctified. ‘My prayer is not for them alone. I pray also for those who will believe in me through their message, that all of them may be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you. May they also be in us so that the world may believe that you have sent me. I have given them the glory that you gave me, that they may be one as we are one— I in them and you in me—so that they may be brought to complete unity. Then the world will know that you sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me. ‘Father, I want those you have given me to be with me where I am, and to see my glory, the glory you have given me because you loved me before the creation of the world. ‘Righteous Father, though the world does not know you, I know you, and they know that you have sent me. I have made you known to them, and will continue to make you known in order that the love you have for me may be in them and that I myself may be in them.”[5]
The only thing I can say after that is there is power in the name of Jesus to break every chain, break every chain, break every chain!
[1] Jesus Culture; Lyrics to Break Every Chain, Awakening: Live from Chicago, 2011.
[2] John 1:1-5. All scripture used in this article is taken from the NIV translation of the Holy Bible unless otherwise noted.
[3] Colossians 1:15-20
[4] Hebrews 7:25-28
[5] John 17:1-26