Mark 9:38  And John answered him, saying, Master, we saw one casting out devils in thy name, and he followeth not us: and we forbad him, because he followeth not us.
39  But Jesus said, Forbid him not: for there is no man which shall do a miracle in my name, that can lightly speak evil of me.
40  For he that is not against us is on our part.
41  For whosoever shall give you a cup of water to drink in my name, because ye belong to Christ, verily I say unto you, he shall not lose his reward.

This passage is a parallel to the record in Luke 9. The disciples had learned some things about the importance of truth. They knew the Pharisees were wrong. They did not yet understand true Biblical separation. The purity of the Gospel is important. The purity of Jesus’ name is important.
Today, we see many who take this passage and they corrupt it and thus have accepted many heretics simply because they name the name of Jesus. The name of Jesus is precious.

Matthew 1:21  And she shall bring forth a son, and thou shalt call his name JESUS: for he shall save his people from their sins.

Joseph was being encouraged by the angel of the Lord regarding the incarnate Son of God that his wife Mary was carrying and would soon give birth to. Joseph and Mary both had difficulty understanding what was happening in their lives, but they did not doubt what God was doing. Joseph was told what Mary’s son would be called. Joseph and Mary did not have an option on the naming of this son of Mary’s. His name is very important because He is very important. Mankind has been blessed through the gift of the Lord Jesus Christ. That name is indeed precious.
The many who take that name in vain will regret it one day.
In our text John was concerned that there was one who was using the name of Jesus to cast out devils, but this man was not following Jesus and the disciples. At least they assumed this man was not following them, because he was not with them. John said they forbad this man from using Jesus’ name because he was not following them.
We need to keep the context in mind here. Jesus caught the disciples disputing about who was the greatest in God’s kingdom. Jesus sat them down to teach them humility and what true faith looks like. John interjected this topic into that teaching. Jesus did not agree with John’s position and briefly corrected the disciples on their opinion. We read much more on this in the epistles.
In verse 39 Jesus did not praise John and the others for what they had done. He taught them that no one can do a miracle in His name and then lightly speak evil of Him. Jesus was not including the Pharisees or their ilk in this here. We know in the book of Acts there were seven sons of Sceva who took the name of Jesus and tried to make merchandise of it. The devil they were playing with beat up those seven sons. They were used by God to remind others and themselves that you do not take the name of Jesus lightly.
Today there are many like Kenneth Copeland, Benny Hinn, Joseph Prince, Jack Hyles, Paul Chappell and countless others, who take the name of Jesus lightly. They are still alive and they have large followings and so they assume they must be on the right side. God shows us in His Word what is truth and what is correct behaviour. He shows us what His followers need to be like. The sad reality today is too often we put the Bible aside and we judge truth based on experience. We will be held accountable according to God’s sure Word.
Jesus stated that the person who is not against Jesus and His disciples is on the same side. Thus we are reminded here to judge people according to righteous judgment.

John 7:24  Judge not according to the appearance, but judge righteous judgment.

Our failure is that we often judge according to appearance. We look at what is being done and we determine truth based on our feeble and finite vision. We have the Word of God. We can know who is on God’s side, to a large extent. Of course, we do not see the heart of man. Jesus taught that we can know the tree by its fruit. We need discernment in our lives. It is difficult to know who a person is or what they believe by listening to them once. The internet is helpful in researching a speaker and getting to know a little more about them. According to God’s Word the local church is very important. The pastor of the local church is to be the main teacher in the Christian’s life. He will call in evangelists as needed to help in the work of teaching his people the truth. Both the pastor and evangelist will build their ministry faithfully upon the apostles and prophets — the Word of God.
While in the hospital recently, I listened to a couple of messages by a speaker I had never heard before. He was in a church I knew of and I listened to what he had to say. His messages seemed to be very practical. He took the Word of God and applied it to events affecting us now and how we have been guilty of not taking God’s Word seriously for a long time. I was impressed with his handling of God’s Word. Since then I have done some research on this person and have discovered a major flaw in his theology. As mentioned, it is difficult to know a man from one or two messages. It is necessary to know the foundation upon which the man is building. I am not finished my research on this man yet, but thus far there is a large red flag upon him.
Following Jesus is more than naming His name. Those that God brings across our path need to be examined in the Light of the sure Word of God. Paul told Timothy not to lay hands on any man suddenly. Sometimes we are guilty of doing that. We need to be sure we are dealing with a true man of God. Careful attention to doctrine will help us to make wise decisions.
In verse 41 Jesus went back to His teaching on humility. It is what we consider insignificant things that matter to God. We do not need plaques on the wall boasting of our acknowledgements. We need God’s ‘well done’ in our lives. That will never be found on a plaque on this earth. It is recorded in heaven, where it matters.
Taking the time to speak to a person about Biblical salvation is important. Helping that troubled teen get a right perspective on life is important. Helping that couple that is having trouble in their marriage is important. As we speak the truth in love, people will get to know who we are. They can examine us and if they use the Word of God as their foundation, they will draw right conclusions. Most people have a preconceived set of opinions. They screen people according to what they like, but not according to what God says. The wise person understands that God’s Word is the only absolute authority given to man. Our ideas and opinions need to be judged in the light of the sure Word of God. If we will do that, we will be going in the right direction.
Rather than focusing on greatness, we need to focus on faithful service to the Lord. That is what God recognizes. That is why He saves us.
Pastor Bartel