Colossians 3, verse 17 of God's Word, it says this, And whatever you do in word or deed, do everything, everything, in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, giving thanks to God the Father through Him. Let's pray. Heavenly Father, this is Your Word. This is Your command. This is Your desire and will. made known to us through the pen of St. Paul. And yet this principle is so broad and so wide and deep and wonderful, perhaps we don't know how to get a handle on it. We pray, Heavenly Father, that we who name the name of Christ would be obedient and submissive and attentive to Your Word now, that You might teach us by Your Spirit. Teach all of us what You desire from us that our lives might be pleasing to You, our Lord, our Rock, our Redeemer. Amen. Amen. I've been thinking of the scene where there is chaos, whether we're talking a group of youngsters in a room and they're running everywhere, or whether you're talking about a workplace where it doesn't appear to be working and people are standing around and confused or uncoordinated. You can imagine a scene of chaos and someone entering that scene, perhaps someone with authority and the right to ask, they often come up with this question, who's in charge here? Or we can change to a related question. We always know from science fiction movies that when an alien lands on the planet, what does he ask? Who's in charge here? Or he says simply, take me to your leader. Why do people ask those things? Who's in charge here? Take me to your leader. Why are such requests put forward? And of course, there are other contexts that they can be asked. I pick the most exciting. Perhaps you come into a building in a group, whether it's youngsters, students in a school, or workers in a workplace. and everything's running so smoothly, in such a focused and productive way, you take notice and pause and say, who's in charge here? The question can be asked in many contexts, but why that question? Because people want to know who's behind what they're seeing, who is accountable or who should be held accountable for it, or who explains what's happening in the scene. And obviously if the scene is chaos, people want to know who's the leader and why aren't you following the leader. But when it's the scene of organized productivity and focused effort, people ask to see the leader so they know who to praise and perhaps who to follow themselves. Have we gotten our minds warmed up to those questions? I think those are questions that are fair to ask after someone has been presented with Colossians 317. The command has been given in God's word, which we just read, whatever you do in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, giving thanks to God the Father through him. The follow-up question or the pop quiz could be, who's in charge here? As we watch one another or watch our own lives to see if we're obeying this, If someone were to see our lives, would they see organized, focused obedience to that scripture? Or would they see the absence of that? Would they understand who's in charge of you? Would they understand who is leading you? And would they desire that leader for themselves? Well, these are the kinds of things I think of when I look at a text and see how important it is that I get a handle on it and that our church, fellow believers, gets a handle on it. This is an important and broad summarizing command for what we've been studying in Colossians 3 with all its particulars, where it talks about letting the peace of Christ rule in your hearts. Let the Word of Christ dwell in you richly. as you sing, as you worship, and you give thanks, as you put on love, as you do all the things that God's been asking you, we're supposed to do all of them in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, giving thanks to God the Father through Him. Your life should be a God-centered, a God-driven life. And when people see your life, they should ask, Who's influencing you? Who's leading you? And they should desire that for themselves. For the Christian, the answer should be Christ. Christ is my Lord. For this church, the answer should be Jesus Christ is the head of this church. The Westminster Shorter Catechism, the very first question and answer says, what is the chief end of man? Man's chief end is to glorify God and to enjoy Him forever. We are to live God-centered lives for the glory of God. Let me break down this text into some simple parts and help us see the potential ways we can obey it. First, underheading every word and deed, and then we'll talk about the name of Christ at length. As the command comes to us, it says, in whatever you do, throwing the doors wide open. That's a big word. Whatever you do, in word or in deed, whether it's something you're thinking and planning, or something you actually execute, the potential and the reality, what comes out of your mouth, what really happens with your life, all things, should be done in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, giving thanks to God the Father through Him. The Scriptures tell us that out of the abundance of the heart, the mouth speaks. The importance of your words and thought life cannot be overestimated. The Gospel is something to know, to give your assent to, and have your mind and will direct your heart to submit to and believe in. God speaks through propositional truths. He makes Himself known in sentences. He speaks to the mind. And as the mind digests it, and you communicate back to Him, we do so first and foremost with our words, and then with our deeds. There was a prayer of the psalmist in Psalm 19, verse 14, the final verse of that psalm. He said, let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in your sight, O Lord, my rock and my redeemer. He knew who had given him spiritual life, who had redeemed him. He knew upon whose grace he stood, and he desired that what was inside him, what he pondered, what he dreamed about, what he desired and wished, as well as what he spoke would be pleasing to His Lord. Do we honor the Lord? Do we have Christ-centered mouths and minds? I perhaps would be remiss if I did not warn you as Jesus did in Matthew chapter 12. Turn with me to Matthew chapter 12 beginning in verse 33. When we get to verses 36 and 37, you'll see the connection with all your words. Jesus is speaking here to those who were quizzing Him and questioning Him. And verse 33 says, How a tree is known by its fruit. He says, Either make the tree good, and its fruit good, or make the tree bad, and its fruit bad. For the tree is known by its fruit. Verse 34, you brood of vipers, how can you speak good when you are evil? For out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks. The good person, out of the good treasure, brings forth good. And the evil person, out of his evil treasure, brings forth evil. I tell you, on the day of judgment, people will give account for every careless word they speak, says Jesus, for by your words you will be justified by your words, you'll be condemned. Whatever you do, even before your hand and feet and eyes move, what's in your heart, what comes out of your mouth, ought to be God-centered. Whether in word or in deed, who is it that said actions speak louder than words? I don't know if we'll ever know. It's been around for a while. You can say a lot, but after it's said, do your actions support it? What about your deeds? What about every deed? Not just your religious deeds being Christ-centered, but all your deeds. Do you wash dishes to the glory of God? Well, how do I do that? You do it as best you can. As you're washing dishes, you say this is an honorable and right thing to do. It helps others. And as I do my best, I do it as unto the Lord. In every action or every deed, do it in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ. And there's a connection made in the New Testament in particular with why we should do certain things and the glory of God. Let me give you just a for instance or two. In 1 Corinthians chapter 6, Verse 20 in its context is talking about immorality and then a call to sexual purity. And yet that call to live pure lives is grounded not just on the moralizing of the Apostle, but it's grounded on God's grace to us and his glory at stake in us. Let me read verse 19. Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God? You are not your own, for you were bought with a price. So glorify God in your body. My friends, especially boys and girls and young men and young women, as well as us old guys, we need to make right choices with our thought life and with our hands and feet and all our body parts We need to manage them for the glory of God, because there is a connection. Your purity is connected. Dr. Tom Schreiner, as he builds a case for the glory of God being at the heart of Paul's agenda, says, the fundamental reason for sexual purity here is that such a life honors God, showing that the person who lives chastely trusts that following God's will is the path to joy. Making the choice to say no to premarital sex or say no to adulterous thoughts or immoral thoughts, saying no is a way to glorify God. It's not just a battle of view and sin, it's a battle for a heart to be faithful and to remain pure and loving towards God. Your deeds need to be connected. Even as Paul would write in Philippians 4, about our giving, he says in verse 20, it also should be to the glory of God. What we do should be in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ for his glory. And it's interesting, before we move on, this description, whether in word or in deed, doesn't that remind you of how our Lord was described? These two terms used by Paul to describe the Lord Jesus Christ Himself. He came ministering in words and in deeds, teaching and doing. And in 2 Thessalonians 2, verses 16 and 17, as He gives a benediction-like statement there in Thessalonians 2, He says, Now may our Lord Jesus Christ Himself and God our Father, who loved us and gave us eternal comfort and good hope with grace, comfort your hearts and establish them in every good work and word." If you're a Christian, if you're a Christ follower, you need to have that happen in your life, that you would honor God with every good work and word. That's the way you show yourself to be a Christian. Well, the command here in Colossians 3.17 goes on. It says, whatever you do in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus. Everything in the name of the Lord Jesus. In other words, the name of Christ is to be our rule. The name of Christ is to reign over us and reign us in and direct us, guide us. Not simply flavor all we do, but be the passion for all we do. It's interesting to do a concordance study on the word name, N-A-M-E. Check it out sometime. Page through your Bible or just pick one of the four Gospels and see what Jesus says about his father's name or his name. Jot down all the references. You'll learn quite a few, quite a few things. I've gathered several things that such a study can produce for us here, and I think they illuminate what it means to do something in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ. Let's take a look. I've got seven things on the list and we'll move quickly and I'll have a scripture or two for each one. First, the name of Christ represents the person and glory of God. The name represents the person. The name represents the glory of God. When Jesus was to be born into the world, Matthew chapter 1 verse 23, gives this announcement, Behold, the virgin shall be with child and shall bear a son, and they shall call his name Immanuel, which is translated God with us. He should be given the name Jesus. He'll save his people from their sins. The name represents the person. And often in Scripture, it's a circumlocution where instead of saying Jesus or instead of saying God or the Lord, it says the name. and His name is God. In Revelation 19, verse 16, and on His robe and on His thigh, He has written a name, King of Kings and Lord of Lords. When we think of the name, we ought to think of all the splendor and glory of the person. Secondly, the name represents our Savior and our salvation. Not just God in His glory, but God in action, in saving us. As we said from Matthew 1.21, she will bear a son and she shall call His name Jesus, for He will save His people from their sins. But also listen to the way that John 1.12 is worded. Talking about how you become a child of God. John 1.12 is very specific. But to all who did receive Him, who believed in His name, he gave the right to become children of God. John 1.12 If you're uncertain today how to become a Christian, this verse opens that door and has a big hand pointing at how. You receive Christ. Well, how do I do that? You believe in His name. Believe in who He is. Who did Jesus claim to be? Who did people say He was? He's the Savior. He is Emmanuel, God with us. He is the Son of God, the Son of Man. You believe in His name, you believe in Him, and you become the children of God. If you were to keep reading John 1.13, it eliminates a lot of other ways that you don't become believers. Not just by being born into a Christian family, or by someone else's decision, or even by your own mental ascent. You have to believe in the person of Jesus Christ. Belief always takes an object, and that object is critical. It must be Christ. The name represents our Savior and our salvation. What did Peter preach in Acts 2, verse 38? Peter said to them, repent, and each of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. In the name of Jesus. to have that name spoken over you, to have that name be on your lips as you do those things, because it represents your Savior and His saving work on your behalf. Or as Peter would say very succinctly later on in Acts 4.12, there is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven that has been given among men by which we must be saved. That name, that Savior, that person, Pretty exclusive language here. If you believe Acts 4.12, people will call you intolerant and unkind. This is a pluralistic society. Well, pluralistic society, I believe Acts 4.12, there is but one name, the name of Jesus. The name of Jesus in a Christian's life, thirdly, involves reverence for the name, and reverence for the name will lead and guide all prayers. Lead and guide all prayers. I was stopped in my tracks when I came upon Matthew 6-9 this week. As Jesus begins to teach His disciples how to pray, He says, pray then in this way, Our Father who is in heaven, hallowed be thy name. Why is that the first petition? Because to grasp the name and to address God with that name is to acknowledge His personhood and His glory, who He is and what He has done. And that's first and foremost. God is number one. And reverence for the name, hallowed be thy name, holy be your name, may your name be lifted up, may it be known truly and rightly in this world. and honored and adored in this world. Your name, not mine. Your name, O God. That should begin all our praying and all our worship and all our living. In everything you do, do it in the name. There's a connection there. And I think it grips with reverence and submission and worship. Those things ought to come to mind. if you look at Colossians 3.17 and want to obey it, and do everything in the name, you have to understand that what you do as a Christian will reflect either glory to your God or not. And if you pray with your mouth, hell would be thy name, but live your life in ways that don't underwrite that name, there's an inconsistency there, and we call that hypocrisy. That's not good. Fourthly, the name of Christ is our rule and it's our command here, Yet we should know that it will cause us trials and tribulations. Trials and tribulations. Well, that's kind of a bummer, Pastor. Why bring that up? You want everybody to enjoy the name and worship it. Well, it's the truth. And it's ahead for all of us. As Jesus Himself said, Matthew 10, 22, you will be hated by all because of My name. He's basically saying because of Me. because you live to hallow my name, because you've taken up my name if you're a Christian. You'll be hated by all because of my name." But, the verse continues, it is the one who has endured to the end who will be saved. Don't give up the name to gain friends among men. Cling to the name to have the friend that's better than any other. This name will cause us trials and tribulations. Luke 21, 17 repeats that. And in the book of Acts chapter 15, Paul is being spoken of here in Barnabas. Acts chapter 15 is that great convention in Jerusalem. So what do we do? Gentiles are joining the church. Do they have to be Jewish first? No, they can go right to being Christians. Don't have to be Jewish first. And the council has some instructions for Gentile believers. And after they finish the convention, they write out their declaration and they pass it out. It says in verse 25, Acts 15, It seemed good to us, having come to one accord, to choose men and to send them to you with our beloved Barnabas and Paul. And then it reflects on the quality of the men, whether it's simply referring to Barnabas and Paul or them and others. Verse 26 says, Men who have risked their lives for the sake of our Lord Jesus Christ. That's what the ESV says, for the sake of our Lord Jesus Christ. New American Standard, or an even more literal translation, includes the Greek word for name here, onomatopoeia, who have risked their lives for the sake of the name. It will cost you something. you will have to put everything else at risk. And that's not just my idea. That comes from another Bible verse which says something about take up your cross daily, die to self. You have choices to make. That's what the fight of faith is all about. If you're going to apprehend Christ as your Savior, He is also your Lord, and if He is Lord, you're not. And what he wants for your life is what should take place, even if it should cost you friends, even if it should bring you into trials and tribulations. I think that's a particularly acute trial for teenage believers or college-age believers or young adults as you make decisions about the direction of your life and who you're going to invest in as friends. You have decisions to make. And again, Jesus would warn us, whoever is ashamed of me and my name in this generation, of him will the Son of Man be ashamed. Don't be ashamed of your Savior's name. Do everything. Make your life revolve around the name and person of Jesus. Well, continuing our list about the name and living and doing all for the glory of the name, we should know fifthly, to our encouragement, the name brings us into the presence of God. It's always hard to be that explicit, but I'm comfortable with those words. The name brings us into the presence of God. And I'm thinking of Matthew 18, verse 20. It says, where two or three have gathered together in my name, I am there in their midst. And I don't want to do any theological gymnastics to take away the promise of that verse. where two or three are gathered in my name. I'm there. Says God. God says that. That's a tremendous thought. In your home, if you have believing parents or believing siblings and you've got two or three gathered there, and again, two or three just means to say, if you have anybody else who's a believer, there's something special there and it's me. the presence of God. We can be God's hands and feet, as it were, and bear that presence with us. We don't have time to explore, but I'll mention Matthew 18 verse 5. Earlier in that very same chapter, Jesus said as He welcomed little children to Him, He says, whoever receives one such child in My name receives Me. It's profound. And the two or three gathered in His name. Those who grasp these things, that the name represents the person, and the person is our Savior and our salvation, and there's a cost to that name, but that name is precious. All of these things, as we focus on being intentional about being Christians and God-centered, God is pleased to be with us. You're not alone. Two more thoughts on this section. Number six, the name is the best gift you can give to others. The name is the best gift you can give to others. When we're commanded, whatever you do, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ. Well, what if I'm with other people that aren't Christians? What do I do then? Can I take a break for a while and not do things in the name of the Lord? No, do things in the name of the Lord. Give a stranger, even an enemy, a cup of cold water. Turn the other cheek. Do whatever God calls you to do. Live in submission to His Lordship and live and do everything for the glory and honor and presence of His name and it will be the best thing you can do for another person. And the name is the best thing you can give away. Perhaps you're thinking of the verse that inspires this point. From Acts chapter three, Peter runs across the crippled man who was begging in front of the temple. And Peter had said a lot about the Lord Jesus being the Messiah, and he preached a good sermon on Pentecost. Here, Peter was out. Not only in word had he honored Christ, but now he's out walking and he's going through the temple. What will he do indeed? What does he have to give this crippled man? Because in word and indeed, Peter, you should do everything for the sake of the name to glorify God. Acts 3.6, but Peter said, I do not possess silver and gold, but what I do have, I give to you in the name of Jesus Christ, the Nazarene. Walk. And the man got up and walked. And later on, as Peter is explaining it in Acts 3.16, he says, "...on the basis of faith in his name. It is the name of Jesus which has strengthened this man whom you see and know. And the faith which comes through him has given him this perfect health in the presence of you all." Peter was convinced. He wasn't just giving lip service to a beggar. He was giving the best gift he could give, seeing another life come in connection to their God. We don't think about that often enough. We think just the opposite. Oh, I wish this other person would give me the opportunity to bring up religion. I wish this other person would let me mention what church I go to. Boy, are we timid! walking around like, I don't know, an animal in a china shop, if that's the right word picture. We don't realize that what we know, what we believe, the promises we have and the life we enjoy would be the best gift to give to someone else. Now we're not talking about cramming something down someone's throat. We're talking about giving a gift, sharing the truth, helping and speaking with compassion. But also there is a measure of boldness. Remember in Acts chapter 9 when Saul of Tarsus had been converted and he was going to be Paul, the apostle, but people didn't believe that he had been converted and he was somewhat on the outskirts of things. In Acts 9 it talks about how Barnabas. Barnabas took hold of him and brought him to the apostles and described to them how he had seen the Lord on the road and that he had talked to him. and how at Damascus, he, Paul, Saul, had spoken out boldly in the name of Jesus. And he was with them, moving about freely in Jerusalem, speaking out boldly in the name of Jesus. Saul turned Paul, the convert, what does he do? He wants other people to know the truth about the one he had formerly persecuted. This Jesus. isn't some crazy guy. He is the Messiah. Let me tell you about the name. And he boldly declares the name. He is Emmanuel. He is Savior. He is Lord. Paul was convinced the best thing he could give to others was this gospel, this name. Are you? Are you? Or do we leave it up to somebody else? Is it the best gift you can give to others? Start with that conviction. We can all have that conviction. And let the Lord help us take advantage of opportunities. We're not all Peters. We're not all evangelists. But do you love Jesus that much? Is your life, every word, every deed, in submission and support of that name? This is what it's all about. It's not just for later. It's not just for missionaries or saints or professionals. It's for God's people. Final thing I'll point out about the name. The name reflects the Lordship of Christ over all. It shouldn't surprise us that when people want to curse, they use the name of the Lord of all. What other word can mean so much? What other word can they throw around that has such power? Well, maybe you do find people going around saying, oh, George Bush, stomping their foot. They take the name of the Lord in vain, because it's the name that's over every name. We're told that in Philippians chapter 2. For this reason God highly exalted Him, speaking of Jesus, and bestowed on Him the name which is above every name, because names matter, and this name is the greatest name. So that at the name of Jesus, every knee will bow of those who are on earth and heaven and on earth and under the earth. That name reflects Godhood, Lordship. And if you take up that name and you're His disciple, do everything in His name. And if you can't do it in His name, why are you doing it? If your calling is to be a husband or a wife, or a son or a daughter, or a mother or a father, or a working person, or a missionary, or whatever your calling is from God, can you do what is before you in the name of Christ or not? Seek to do everything in accordance with the name, the presence, with reverence of who God is and for His glory. or as I've tried to label it, the God-centered life is what we should be after. Let me, as I have anticipated, only briefly mention my third point and then we'll get to some applications. The role of thankfulness. I can almost feel St. Paul giving me a look that I didn't manage my time well to say more because Paul, inspired by the Spirit, says this at the end of the verse. do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, giving thanks to God the Father through Him." Those are inspired words. Those are important words. And we need to know why they're attached. So let me mention that. They're attached because thanksgiving, to use a medical word, is like a prophylactic against pride. and misusing the name, this great blessing and honor and power that we've been privileged to be given. This kind of thanksgiving is deeper than just generic gratitude. Jerry Bridges says, Thanksgiving is not a natural virtue. It is a fruit of the Spirit. Is it not? Or more to the point, I see here the Puritan William Gernal, who has that major work on the Christian armor from Ephesians 6. But the quote here is, Thanksgiving is an act of self-denial. When you can live your life in a God-centered life, and it will be a thrill to live a God-centered life, the closer we are to doing everything, word and deed, in the name of our Father, that's a joy. Our heart will be racing. To be thankful is an act of self-denial. It reminds you that it's His name, not your name. That it's His glory, not your glory. That's important. As the English pastor J.C. Ryle said, thankfulness is a flower which will never bloom well excepting upon a root of deep humility. It's an act of self-denial to thank the Lord for doing these things. to thank God for helping you be God-centered in your words and in your deeds. Don't go around saying, hey, I'm really getting good at this. Thank God for it. It's the fruit of the Spirit. Remember what John the Baptist said as Christ began his public ministry? He must increase, but I must decrease. An act of self-denial. And here we're called to have thankfulness in our hearts, to give thanks to God the Father, through him, and I would add for him. Just a couple words of application as we close. Number one, Christian behavior depends upon allegiance to Christ. Christian behavior, doing everything in the name of Christ or everything to honor the name, you first need to give allegiance to Christ. As Dr. theologian Tom Schreiner says, ethics cannot be sundered from the preeminence of Christ. For everything done by believers is to be done in the name of Jesus and for His honor. In other words, you can't just say, oh, I'm going to pick up the Christian ethic. I'm going to try this for a while. It won't work unless you're directly committed to and connected to the Lord Jesus Christ. You must be born again to make progress in the Christian life. You must honor Christ as Lord if He is to bring forth fruit in your life. Number two, also from Tom Schreiner, he points out that the origin of sin is really the failure to be God-centered. We sin when we're not God-centered. We sin when we're not God-centered. Do you remember the verse from Romans 14, 23? Whatever is not of faith is sin. Do you remember that? That just kind of cuts everything into two camps. Whatever is not of faith is sin. Dr. Schreiner says, once we grasp that the origin of sin is failure to serve and worship God, we also understand why whatever is not of faith is sin. Paul conceives of ordinary actions like eating and drinking being done for God's glory. Conversely, he says that anything that is not animated by faith is sin. So the God-centered life isn't like an accessory or an extra, like a top hat when you've already got a tuxedo on. The God-centered life is part and parcel of living the life of faith. And when you don't pursue that, whatever is not for faith is sin. And a third application for us as we go. The God-centered mind is the place to start. The God-centered mind. Before you work on your words and deeds, Get that God-centered mind and heart. Spend time devotionally with your God. Think on Him. May your thoughts constantly go to Him. I want to close with a quote from Morris Roberts. I had mentioned his book earlier, and this is from my favorite essay entitled, The Thought of God, from Morris Roberts. To have God in his mind and thought is the believer's constant source of strength. The martyr languishes in the flames, but his mind flies upward to God, his savior, and looks forward blissfully to the glory that awaits him as his body sinks to ashes. Or the imprisoned Christian forgets the harsh regime of the camp, the daily grind, and the grueling labor as his mind soars upward on the wings of hope to remember God. Or the weary missionary, struggling with unfamiliar syllables and convoluted grammar in his appointed sphere of service, sees beyond the frustrations of the hour, he remembers God, his exceeding great reward, Genesis 15, 1. The thought of God enlivens all Christian action. The thought of God should be the Christian's panacea. It should cure all his ills at a stroke. Nothing can approach in beauty, says Pastor Roberts, the idea of the true and living God. There exists a being. who is infinite in power, knowledge, and godliness, that that Being cares for me with a perfect love as though I were the only man in existence, and that He loved me before I was born and created me to enjoy Him eternally, and that He sent His Son to suffer the agony of the cross to secure my eternal happiness. My friends, As God gives us the grace to obey His Word and live God-centered lives, may people stop you and say, take me to your leader. Let's pray. Heavenly Father, we do thank you and praise you for your Word which lightens our path and the way we should go. Father, may we not become entangled in just being religious, but help us to think rightly and properly honor the name and live for the Name, and share the Name, and celebrate the Name, and do all things in obedience to Your Word. In the name of Jesus Christ, we pray, Amen.