Pastors' Perspective 8/6/2024 | Full Live Stream

[S.R.M.]

THE ROSE OF SHARON
Rev. Steve Marlowe
In the famous Shakespeare play, Act II, Scene II, the line is spoken by Juliet about Romeo's house: Montague. The line implies that his surname, and his family's feud with Juliet's family, means nothing and they should be together. This is the context:
Juliet: “O Romeo, Romeo! wherefore art thou Romeo?
Deny thy father and refuse thy name;
Or, if thou wilt not, be but sworn my love,
And I'll no longer be a Capulet.
Romeo: Shall I hear more, or shall I speak at this?
Juliet: 'Tis but thy name that is my enemy;
Thou art thyself, though not a Montague.
What's Montague? It is nor hand, nor foot,
Nor arm, nor face, nor any other part
belonging to a man. O, be some other name!
What's in a name? That which we call a rose
By any other name would smell as sweet...”
There is a distinction here that needs to be noted. When people are confronted with the actual revealed name of the Savior, YAHSHUA, they may knowingly, or unknowingly, have this sentiment: “What’s in a name? That which we call a rose by any other name would still smell as sweet.” But this is canal reasoning, and they do not know the LORD, who says, “‘For My thoughts are not your thoughts, nor are your ways My ways, ’ says the Lord” (Isaiah 55:8).
THERE IS NO OTHER NAME! “Then Peter, filled with the Holy Spirit, said to them, “Rulers of the people and elders of Israel: If we this day are judged for a good deed done to a helpless man, by what means he has been made well, let it be known to you all, and to all the people of Israel, that by the name of YAHSHUA the Christ of Nazareth, whom you crucified, whom God raised from the dead, by Him this man stands here before you whole. This is the ‘stone which was rejected by you builders, which has become the chief cornerstone.’ Nor is there salvation in any other, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved” (Acts 4:8-12). “THERE IS NO OTHER NAME…BY WHICH WE MUST BE SAVE!”
The Bible reveals the essential name of YAH=I AM, and we read, “And God said to Moses, “HaYAH Ashar HaYAH” [I AM WHO I AM]. And He said, “Thus you shall say to the children of Israel, ‘I AM [YAH] has sent me to you’” (Exodus 3:14), “the I AM” (HaYAH), which describes Christ’s revealed name from Heaven. Many are confused by various names and titles, such as the multiple names of Christ, NEVER REVEALED BY GOD, AND CAUSED BY LINGUISTIC EVOLUTION through the centuries: Jesus, Iesus, Isa, and Iesous, however, it is clear from the Bible there is no other name for Christ, and His true name is YAHSHUA (Acts 4:12). This linguistic evolution causing drastic change to the revealed name of salvation must be exposed! These titles, El Shaddai, Emmanuel, and Lord and Savior, reveal His character, purpose, and how He relates to humanity. They represent different aspects of who He is and the significance of His role in our lives. The name YAHSHUA means “I AM Salvation, ” in Hebrew. The name “Jesus” has no intrinsic meaning in any language.
The true meaning of Christ’s name symbolizes beauty and love as YAHSHUA becomes the source of joyfulness, love, and eternal life.
Like “the Rose of Sharon, ” YAHSHUA beautifies our lives and gives us joy, even when facing challenges. Acknowledging this name allows us to feel His presence and see His love and grace everywhere. Unfortunately for a lot of people, they have been conditioned to accept the name Jesus, a name never revealed by the Lord.
As our Mighty God, YAHSHUA, performs mighty miracles and saves lives even to those who do not know Him. We are encouraged to have faith in Him, as nothing is impossible with Him. It affirms His divine power and sovereignty, emphasizing His ability to perform miracles and save all those who believe in His revealed name, YAHSHUA.
Those who hold to the name Jesus, again, a name never revealed by God, risk not truly knowing Him. To deny the name of the Savior, YAHSHUA, is to be condemned. “He who believes in Him is not condemned; but he who does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God” (John 3:18).
The one who insists on holding to the name Jesus, a name never revealed by God, risks not truly knowing Christ. You may say, “I prayed in the name of Jesus, and my prayers were answered.”
Another one says, “I have seen wonders, miracles, and demons cast out! So I reject the name of YAHSHUA!” Many people will think this way.
Others say, “The name Jesus is in the Bible, and God would not let that happen unless He wanted it to happen! And look, the majority of people believe in the name Jesus, and God knows who they mean.”
They ignore the Gospel by these sentiments.
When it comes to the majority knowing the name “Jesus, ” they must consider the Gospel truth, “Enter by the narrow gate; for wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction, and there are many who go in by it. Because narrow is the gate and difficult is the way which leads to life, and there are few who find it” (Matthew 7:13-14). And Few find the true name of salvation revealed from Heaven.
Every good thing comes from God, and He is loving to the good and to the bad. This is not a criterion for truth, in that because God blesses the bad, it does not indicate validation for evil people, false doctrine, or false names. “Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and comes down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow of turning” (James 1:17). “That you may be sons of your Father in heaven; for He makes His sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust” (Matthew 5:45).
To those who reject the name YAHSHUA risk when they call out to Him, “Lord, Lord, ” as shown in Matthew 7:21-22, that He will say, “Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord, ’ shall enter the Kingdom of Heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in Heaven. Many will say to Me in that day, ‘Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name, cast out demons in Your name, and done many wonders in Your name?’ And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!’”
What is lawlessness?
Lawlessness is contrasted with righteousness (Romans 6:19, 2 Corinthians 6:14). The righteous, who have the nature of YAHSHUA the Christ, hate the deeds of lawlessness. Christians are to be law-abiding (1 Peter 4:15).
When a society ignores the laws of God and the revelations of God, lawlessness is the result, and chaos ensues. The biblical historian points out the reason for societal tumult: “In those days Israel had no king; everyone did as they saw fit” (Judges 21:25). The riot in Ephesus is a good example of lawlessness in action (Acts 19).
In other words, lawlessness is condemned in Scripture.
The Bible connects man’s lawlessness and rebellion against God with his need for repentance and forgiveness. Christ’s righteousness is imputed to us at salvation, and He forgives us of our lawlessness when we repent from lawlessness. It is comforting to know, that upon our repentance, He says, “Their sins and lawless acts I will remember no more” (Hebrews 10:17). Christ died on the cross “to redeem us from all lawlessness and to purify for Himself a people for his own possession who are zealous for good works” (Titus 2:14, ESV). Our lawless deeds resulted in Christ’s death, but God’s grace overcomes our lawless hearts when we repent and follow Him, and as “Simon has declared how God at the first visited the Gentiles to take out of them a people for His name” (Acts 15:14).
In the Day of Judgment, many will stand before Christ claiming a connection with Him that exists only in their minds. They do not know His revealed name. They will rehearse their good deeds done in His name, only to hear YAHSHUA declare them to be “workers of lawlessness” whom Christ never knew (Matthew 7:23, ESV). At that time, those who practice lawlessness will be cast “into the blazing furnace, ” while those who are covered by the righteousness of Christ “will shine like the sun” (Matthew 13:41–43). Christ will have the ultimate victory and will eliminate lawlessness forever. When God reveals His name, don’t allow it to be transliterated into another name (Iesous), nor transform into another name (Iesus), and then transform yet again into the name Jesus, a name never revealed by God.