A. Humorously

A doctor, a lawyer, a little boy and a preacher were out for a Sunday afternoon flight on a small private plane. Suddenly, the plane developed engine trouble. In spite of the best efforts of the pilot, the plane started to go down. Finally, the pilot grabbed a parachute, yelled to the passengers that they had better jump, and bailed out. Unfortunately, there were only three parachutes remaining. The doctor grabbed one and said "I'm a doctor, I save lives, so I must live," and jumped out. The lawyer then said, "I'm a lawyer and lawyers are the smartest people in the world. I deserve to live." He also grabbed a parachute and jumped. The preacher looked at the little boy and said, "My son, I've lived a long and full life. You are young and have your whole life ahead of you. Take the last parachute and live in peace." The little boy handed the parachute back to the preacher and said, "Not to worry, brother. The smartest man in the world just jumped out of this plane with my back pack."

B. Arrogantly - "I am not saying that I know everything but I am saying that my cumulative cognitive ability makes an elephant a dwarf compared to yours."

C. Actually - Person with the highest recorded IQ in the world - Marilyn Vos Savant, born in St. Louis, Missouri, writer/world's highest IQ, 228

D. Humbly - Albert Einstein

A + B + C = Success if,
A = Hard Work,
B = Hard Play,
C = Keeping your mouth shut.

Thomas Edison once made the wry comment, "You will have many opportunities in life to keep your mouth shut: You should take advantage of every one of them."

The third element in Einstein's quote moves the formula from the realm of trite aphorism into the heady domain of profound truth. So much of my success in life depends upon my ability to control my tongue. "He who guards his mouth and his tongue keeps himself from calamity."

E. Spiritually - " Come now, and let us reason together, says the Lord, ‘Though your sins are as scarlet, they will be as white as snow, though they are red like crimson, they will be like wool, If you will consent and obey me you will eat the best of the land, But if you refuse to obey, You will be devoured by the sword. Truly the mouth of the Lord has spoken." Isaiah 1:18-20

"While they were still talking to the people the priests came up to them, accompanied by the captain of the Temple and the Sadducees. They were extremely annoyed at their teaching the people the resurrection from the dead by proclaiming the resurrection of Jesus. They arrested them, and, as it was already late, they kept them in prison till the next day. But many of those who had listened to their message became believers; the total number of men had now risen to something like five thousand. It happened that the next day the rulers, elders and scribes held a meeting in Jerusalem with Annas the high priest, Caiaphas, Jonathan, Alexander and all the members of the high-priestly families. They made the prisoners stand in the middle and began to interrogate them, 'By what power, and by whose name have you men done this?' Then Peter, filled with the Holy Spirit, addressed them, 'Rulers of the people, and elders! If you are questioning us today about an act of kindness to a cripple and asking us how he was healed, you must know, all of you, and the whole people of Israel, that it is by the name of Jesus Christ the Nazarene, whom you crucified, and God raised from the dead, by this name and by no other that this man stands before you cured. This is the stone which you, the builders, rejected but which has become the cornerstone. Only in him is there salvation; for of all the names in the world given to men, this is the only one by which we can be saved.'

1. Taking The Name of Jesus As Your Own Gives Believers A Purpose Driven Life

"Jesus came and told his disciples, "I have been given complete authority in heaven and on earth. Therefore, go and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. Teach these new disciples to obey all the commands I have given you. And be sure of this: I am with you always, even to the end of the age." Matthew 28:18-20 New American Bible

2. Taking The Name of Jesus As Your Own Gives Believers An Assurance of a Full Life

"And his witness is this, that God has given us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. He who has the Son has the life; he who has not the Son of God has not the life. I have put these things in writing for you who have faith in the name of the Son of God, so that you may be certain that you have eternal life." I John 5:1-11 Bible in Basic English

3. Taking The Name of Jesus As Your Own Gives Believers A Promise of His Presence In All of Life's Circumstances - "To the angel of the church in Ephesus write: The One who holds the seven stars in His right hand, the One who walks among the seven golden lampstands, says this: 'I know your deeds and your toil and perseverance, and that you cannot tolerate evil men, and you put to the test those who call themselves apostles, and they are not, and you found them to be false; and you have perseverance and have endured for My name's sake, and have not grown weary." Revelation 2:1-3 New American Standard Version

4. Taking The Name of Jesus As Your Own Gives Believers A Hope For A Better Day Coming Soon - "And the angel showed me a pure river with the water of life, clear as crystal, flowing from the throne of God and of the Lamb, coursing down the center of the main street. On each side of the river grew a tree of life, bearing twelve crops of fruit, with a fresh crop each month. The leaves were used for medicine to heal the nations. No longer will anything be cursed. For the throne of God and of the Lamb will be there, and his servants will worship him. And they will see his face, and his name will be written on their foreheads. And there will be no night there-- no need for lamps or sun-- for the Lord God will shine on them. And they will reign forever and ever. Then the angel said to me, "These words are trustworthy and true: 'The Lord God, who tells his prophets what the future holds, has sent his angel to tell you what will happen soon.'  Revelation 22:1-6

"They were astonished at the fearlessness shown by Peter and John, considering that they were uneducated laymen; and they recognized them as associates of Jesus; but when they saw the man who had been cured standing by their side, they could find no answer. So they ordered them to stand outside while the Sanhedrin had a private discussion. 'What are we going to do with these men?' they asked. 'It is obvious to everybody in Jerusalem that a notable miracle has been worked through them, and we cannot deny it. But to stop the whole thing spreading any further among the people, let us threaten them against ever speaking to anyone in this name again.' So they called them in and gave them a warning on no account to make statements or to teach in the name of Jesus. But Peter and John retorted, 'You must judge whether in God's eyes it is right to listen to you and not to God. We cannot stop proclaiming what we have seen and heard.' The court repeated the threats and then released them; they could not think of any way to punish them, since all the people were giving glory to God for what had happened. The man who had been miraculously cured was over forty years old." Acts 4:13-22 New Jerusalem Bible

1. Obeying Jesus Throughout Life Gives Disciples A Peace In Every Circumstance.

"If you love Me, you will keep My commandments. "I will ask the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may be with you forever; that is the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it does not see Him or know Him, but you know Him because He abides with you and will be in you. "I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you. "After a little while the world will no longer see Me, but you will see Me; because I live, you will live also. "In that day you will know that I am in My Father, and you in Me, and I in you. "He who has My commandments and keeps them is the one who loves Me; and he who loves Me will be loved by My Father, and I will love him and will disclose Myself to him." Judas (not Iscariot) said to Him, "Lord, what then has happened that You are going to disclose Yourself to us and not to the world?" Jesus answered and said to him, "If anyone loves Me, he will keep My word; and My Father will love him, and We will come to him and make Our abode with him. "He who does not love Me does not keep My words; and the word which you hear is not Mine, but the Father's who sent Me "These things I have spoken to you while abiding with you. "But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all that I said to you. "Peace I leave with you; My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Do not let your heart be troubled, nor let it be fearful" John 14:15-27 New American Standard Version

2. Obeying Jesus Throughout Your Life Gives You A Behavior Model To Follow

"So if in Christ there is anything that will move you, any incentive in love, any fellowship in the Spirit, any warmth or sympathy -- I appeal to you make my joy complete by being of a single mind, one in love, one in heart and one in mind Nothing is to be done out of jealousy or vanity; instead, out of humility of mind everyone should give preference to others everyone pursuing not selfish interests but those of others. Make your own the mind of Christ Jesus Who, being in the form of God, did not count equality with God something to be grasped. But he emptied himself, taking the form of a slave, becoming as human beings are; and being in every way like a human being, he was humbler yet, even to accepting death, death on a cross. And for this God raised him high, and gave him the name which is above all other names; so that all beings in the heavens, on earth and in the underworld, should bend the knee at the name of Jesus and that every tongue should acknowledge Jesus Christ as Lord, to the glory of God the Father. So, my dear friends, you have always been obedient; your obedience must not be limited to times when I am present. Now that I am absent it must be more in evidence, so work out your salvation in fear and trembling. It is God who, for his own generous purpose, gives you the intention and the powers to act. Let your behaviour be free of murmuring and complaining so that you remain faultless and pure, unspoilt children of God surrounded by a deceitful and underhand brood, shining out among them like bright stars in the world, proffering to it the Word of life. Then I shall have reason to be proud on the Day of Christ, for it will not be for nothing that I have run the race and toiled so hard." Philippians 2:1-16 New Jerusalem Bible

3. Obeying Jesus Throughout Life Gives Disciples Spiritual Weapons To Combat the Wiles of the Devil

"For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war according to the flesh for the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh, but divinely powerful for the destruction of fortresses We are destroying speculations and every lofty thing raised up against the knowledge of God, and we are taking every thought captive to the obedience of Christ" 2 Corinthians 10:3-5 New Living Translation

4. Obeying Jesus Throughout Life Gives Disciples' Testimony The Power To Reach The Disobedient

"Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ We are bound to thank God always for you, brethren, as it is fitting, because your faith grows exceedingly, and the love of every one of you all abounds toward each other so that we ourselves boast of you among the churches of God for your patience and faith in all your persecutions and tribulations that you endure, which is manifest evidence of the righteous judgment of God, that you may be counted worthy of the kingdom of God, for which you also suffer; since it is a righteous thing with God to repay with tribulation those who trouble you and to give you who are troubled rest with us when the Lord Jesus is revealed from heaven with His mighty angels in flaming fire taking vengeance on those who do not know God, and on those who do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ. These shall be punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of His power when He comes, in that Day, to be glorified in His saints and to be admired among all those who believe, because our testimony among you was believed Therefore we also pray always for you that our God would count you worthy of this calling, and fulfill all the good pleasure of His goodness and the work of faith with power that the name of our Lord Jesus Christ may be glorified in you, and you in Him, according to the grace of our God and the Lord Jesus Christ" 2 Thessalonians 1:2-12 New King James Version

5. Obeying Jesus Throughout Life Gives Disciples An Assurance of A Glorious Hereafter

"This is why there must be perseverance in the saints who keep the commandments of God and faith in Jesus Then I heard a voice from heaven say to me, 'Write down: Blessed are those who die in the Lord! Blessed indeed, the Spirit says; now they can rest for ever after their work, since their good deeds go with them.' " Revelation 14:12,13 New Jerusalem Bible

God has a high place for each one of us. He wants us to be His sons and share in all the splendors and glories of His great power and might. He has arranged a perpetual life to be lived upon the hilltops. No veil of forgetfulness can cover us, because we will share in God’s eternity. All of our desires and aims, however, must be accomplished in the name of Jesus Christ our Lord. His name we must take. In becoming part of His body, we share in His high estate. We are a royal priesthood and a holy nation. All of the names of the world are but a fleeting breath. The name of the Lord remains forever. We may have that name if we want it.

"For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life "For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved "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 3:16-18

"He must increase, but I must decrease "He who comes from above is above all; he who is of the earth is earthly and speaks of the earth. He who comes from heaven is above all "And what He has seen and heard, that He testifies; and no one receives His testimony "He who has received His testimony has certified that God is true "For He whom God has sent speaks the words of God, for God does not give the Spirit by measure. "The Father loves the Son, and has given all things into His hand "He who believes in the Son has everlasting life; and he who does not believe the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God abides on him." John 3:30-36

4. Jesus Christ - Our text today says that it is the only name appointed among men whereby people might be saved, it is the name of Jesus the Christ, the Son of God. .