What’s in a Name? – Part 2
In the Name of Jesus we have Hope (Acts 3:21-26)
In the Name of Jesus we have Power (Acts 4:1-7)
In the Name of Jesus we can find Courage (Acts 4:8-22)
Slide 1
We began last week talking about “What’s in a Name,” specifically, what are the responsibilities and benefits for those who claim the name of Christ.
We began looking at Peter and John and the situation of them healing the crippled beggar at the gate of the Temple to see the example that they set for us in living our lives with the name “Christian.”
We saw that that in the Name of Jesus
We should be givers
We should be humble
We are refreshed.
We are continuing on with the story today and are asking the question
What are the responsibilities and benefits of claiming the name of Christ and what that looks like in our life?
We are going to be looking in Acts 3 and 4 (p. 772) at the story of a man who
Slide 2
has been crippled since birth and how Peter and John exemplified for those who claim the name of Jesus,
what we should doing and
how we should be living.
I want to briefly get us pup to speed in our story.
Peter and John were going to the temple.
They came upon a crippled beggar.
They give Him healing in Jesus name.
They display humility in His name as they give all credit and glory to Him.
They begin to speak about Jesus’ death.
And I want to read again where we left off last week in
Acts 3:17-20
17 "Now, brothers, I know that you acted in ignorance, as did your leaders. 18 But this is how God fulfilled what he had foretold through all the prophets, saying that his Christ would suffer. 19 Repent, then, and turn to God, so that your sins may be wiped out, that times of refreshing may come from the Lord, 20 and that he may send the Christ, who has been appointed for you-even Jesus. (from New International Version)
Then going on in
Acts 3:21-26
21 He must remain in heaven until the time comes for God to restore everything, as he promised long ago through his holy prophets. 22 For Moses said, ’The Lord your God will raise up for you a prophet like me from among your own people; you must listen to everything he tells you. 23 Anyone who does not listen to him will be completely cut off from among his people.’
24 "Indeed, all the prophets from Samuel on, as many as have spoken, have foretold these days. 25 And you are heirs of the prophets and of the covenant God made with your fathers. He said to Abraham, ’Through your offspring all peoples on earth will be blessed.’ 26 When God raised up his servant, he sent him first to you to bless you by turning each of you from your wicked ways."
(from New International Version)
What I want us to see here is that
In the Name of Jesus, We have Hope
Slide 3
Acts 3:21, 25b-26
21 He must remain in heaven until the time comes for God to restore everything, as he promised long ago through his holy prophets…. He said to Abraham, ’Through your offspring all peoples on earth will be blessed.’ 26 When God raised up his servant, he sent him first to you to bless you by turning each of you from your wicked ways."
We have hope.
Peter tells the people here that God made a promise and God is in the process of fulfilling that promise. There is hope.
There are times when things seem like there is no hope.
Like nothing is ever going to get better or improve.
Like God is not working.
But I am here to tell you today that
God is working and
there is hope.
Hope is absolutely essential to our being able to persevere through difficult times.
Satan is out there trying to convince you that there is no hope because without hope, we quit.
Wharf rats drowning illustration
There was an interesting experiment done by some scientists once.
These behavioral Scientists put some Wharf Rats in a tank of water, and observed them to see how long they would survive before drowning. The average time was 17 minutes. Then, they repeated the experiment, but this time they "rescued" the rats just before the point of drowning, dried them off and returned them to their cages, fed them, and let them play for a few days, and repeated the drowning experiment.
This time, the average survival time for these rats increased from 17 minutes to 36 hours! The scientists explained that phenomenon by pointing out that the second time around, the rats had HOPE. They believed that they could survive this, because they had done so before.
Romans 15:4
For everything that was written in the past was written to teach us, so that through endurance and the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope.
Maybe you are feeling without hope today.
Maybe you are thinking that God is not working in my life.
God has no doubt worked in your life in the past.
You have no dowubt witnessed God’s work in other people’s lives.
You know the truth of the Scriptures which show us how God has worked in history.
You know how much God has shown His love for you by sending His one and only Son to die for your sins.
We need to focus on those things. God has done those things and given us those things to give us hope.
He knows it is going to be hard sometimes.
But it is in those hoard times that God can do great work.
Paul writes in 2 Corinthians 12:
2 Corinthians 12:9-10
9 But he said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness." Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me. 10 That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong.
When we can no longer rely on our won strength, we can rely on God’s strength and there is always hope in the Lord.
Rom 15:13
13 May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.
(from New International Version)
Eph 1:17-19
18 I pray also that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints, 19 and his incomparably great power for us who believe.
(from New International Version)
Do not lose hope. Keep your focus and understand that as a child of the King, He has called us to a hope and to riches and to power.
Know it, believe it and live it.
Well, as Peter and John continue on in our story to set for us an example of how we can live, we see also that
In the Name of Jesus, We have Power
Slide 4
Acts 4:1-7
1 The priests and the captain of the temple guard and the Sadducees came up to Peter and John while they were speaking to the people. 2 They were greatly disturbed because the apostles were teaching the people and proclaiming in Jesus the resurrection of the dead. 3 They seized Peter and John, and because it was evening, they put them in jail until the next day. 4 But many who heard the message believed, and the number of men grew to about five thousand.
5 The next day the rulers, elders and teachers of the law met in Jerusalem. 6 Annas the high priest was there, and so were Caiaphas, John, Alexander and the other men of the high priest’s family. 7 They had Peter and John brought before them and began to question them: "By what power or what name did you do this?"
Now the priest’s were asking about the miracle of healing.
Peter and John had been giving the power to heal people.
Do people today have that power? Do they have the power to do miracles? And if not, why not, if the people in the Bible could heal?
To answer that, we need to go to Scripture to see what God’s purpose is in doing wonders and miracles.
Looking back at the Scriptures above, we see that God’s purpose was
to authenticate His message and the messenger.
Exodus 4:28-31
So Moses told Aaron all the words of the LORD who had sent him, and all the signs which He had commanded him. Then Moses and Aaron went and gathered together all the elders of the children of Israel. And Aaron spoke all the words which the LORD had spoken to Moses. Then he did the signs in the sight of the people. So the people believed.
God confirmed the message that was being given
Numbers 14:11
Then the LORD said to Moses: "How long will these people reject Me? And how long will they not believe Me, with all the signs which I have performed among them?
God again was seeking to confirm His message with signs and wonders.
John 3:2
This man came to Jesus by night and said to Him, "Rabbi, we know that You are a teacher come from God; for no one can do these signs that You do unless God is with him."
Here God is authenticating the messenger, Jesus Christ. We see Peter say the same things in
Acts 2:22-23
"Men of Israel, hear these words: Jesus of Nazareth, a Man attested by God to you by miracles, wonders, and signs which God did through Him in your midst, as you yourselves also know.
God also used miracles to authenticate the Apostles and the message they brought.
Acts 14:3
So Paul and Barnabas spent considerable time there, speaking boldly for the Lord, who confirmed the message of his grace by enabling them to do miraculous signs and wonders.
2 Corinthians 12:12
Truly the signs of an apostle were accomplished among you with all perseverance, in signs and wonders and mighty deeds.
So we see that God did miracles through
the prophets and the apostles for the same reason:
to authenticate His message and
to authenticate the messenger
so the people would believe their word.
These men at the time were the ones composing what we call today the New Testament. The People did not have it then and God was doing something new (i.e. a new covenant).
Well if God’s purpose for miracles and miraculous healing through people has been to authenticate his message and the messenger, why isn’t He doing it that way today and if He is not, how is He?
God is still authenticating His message and His messenger today, but He is not doing it through miracle workers because He authenticates it through His word.
This started even during the time of the apostles.
Acts 17:11
11 Now the Bereans were of more noble character than the Thessalonians, for they received the message with great eagerness and examined the Scriptures every day to see if what Paul said was true. (from New International Version)
We have the word of God that fulfills God’s purpose of authenticating both His message and His messenger.
If you want to know if someone is speaking from God, make sure it aligns with His word.
If you want to know if a message is of God, make sure it aligns with what His word teaches.
God’s purpose of authenticating doesn’t need a miracle worker because we have the miracle of the Bible and if you want to see just what a miracle we have in the Bible, then come on out to our Back to the Basics class where we will talk about the Bible being God’s word and see just what a miracle it is.
So, if we don’t have the power to heal and do miracles, what kind of power do we have in Jesus Name?
Well, just like we talked about 2 weeks ago, we have the power to change peoples lives through
Sharing the gospel and praying for them.
Now, while I don’t believe we have a purpose for miracle workers, I do believe that God still does miracles and that He acts in answer to our prayers, not like some giant Genie in the sky, but through people’s faith as they pray.
And I do believe that there are people that have greater amounts of faith than others whose prayers are more effective.
But for each of us, God has given us the power of prayer to be praying for others that their lives and their world might be changed both in a physical sense and in a spiritual sense.
We have that power in Jesus name.
John 14:13 says.
And I will do whatever you ask in my name, so that the Son may bring glory to the Father.
James 5:16 says
16 Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective.
So, in the name of Jesus, in his authority and power, be praying for others.
Let’s finish up this passage of Acts to see a final thing we might be able to learn from the Apostles.
Acts 4:8-22
8 Then Peter, filled with the Holy Spirit, said to them: "Rulers and elders of the people! 9 If we are being called to account today for an act of kindness shown to a cripple and are asked how he was healed, 10 then know this, you and all the people of Israel: It is by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom you crucified but whom God raised from the dead, that this man stands before you healed. 11 He is
"’the stone you builders rejected,
which has become the capstone.’
12 Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to men by which we must be saved."
13 When they saw the courage of Peter and John and realized that they were unschooled, ordinary men, they were astonished and they took note that these men had been with Jesus. 14 But since they could see the man who had been healed standing there with them, there was nothing they could say. 15 So they ordered them to withdraw from the Sanhedrin and then conferred together. 16 "What are we going to do with these men?" they asked. "Everybody living in Jerusalem knows they have done an outstanding miracle, and we cannot deny it. 17 But to stop this thing from spreading any further among the people, we must warn these men to speak no longer to anyone in this name."
18 Then they called them in again and commanded them not to speak or teach at all in the name of Jesus. 19 But Peter and John replied, "Judge for yourselves whether it is right in God’s sight to obey you rather than God. 20 For we cannot help speaking about what we have seen and heard."
21 After further threats they let them go. They could not decide how to punish them, because all the people were praising God for what had happened. 22 For the man who was miraculously healed was over forty years old.
(from New International Version)
Finally, in this passage we see that
In the Name of Jesus we can find Courage
Slide 5
It is scary to be a Christian sometimes.
• Having to stand and tell other people about Jesus in a society that views “religious diversity” as a primary good.
• Believing and telling others that there is no other way to heaven and no other God to believe in than Jesus Christ.
• Facing persecutions because of who we follow.
• Facing spiritual attack.
All of these things can cause us
to be scared,
to not speak,
to hide, or
to want to turn and run.
But we can find courage in Christ.
When we realize that Christ is with us always.
Deuteronomy 31:6
6 Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or terrified because of them, for the LORD your God goes with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you."
When we realize that He has all power and authority
Matt 28:18
All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me
When we realize that He cares about you in every circumstance
1 Peter 5:7
7 Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you.
When we realize that He has taken away the sting of death and given us ultimate victory,
1 Corinthians 15:55-57
55 "Where, O death, is your victory?
Where, O death, is your sting?"
56 The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. 57 But thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.
(from New International Version)
We can have courage to face any circumstance.
The Apostles went from running scared on the night Jesus was betrayed to willingly facing death.
What circumstance are you afraid of?
Are you afraid that you will lose your job and not be able to provide for your family?
Seek first His Kingdom and his righteousness and all of these things will be added unto you. (Matthew 6:33)
Are you afraid that God will not change the circumstances of your rotten marriage?
Are you afraid that your medical condition will lead to death?
Phil 1:21-23
21 For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain. 22 If I am to go on living in the body, this will mean fruitful labor for me. Yet what shall I choose? I do not know! 23 I am torn between the two: I desire to depart and be with Christ, which is better by far;
(from New International Version)
In all of these Take Courage.
I want to end with the words of God to Joshua as he faced a scary circumstance of leading Israel into the promised land. From this side of History, it does not look all that scary, but from their standpoint, it looked a lot like the unknown that you might be facing right now in your circumstances.
Josh 1:9
Be strong and courageous. Do not be terrified; do not be discouraged, for the LORD your God will be with you wherever you go."
When God was giving Moses and Aaron commands on how to do things, He gave them this command for blessing the Israelites.
He said when you bless Israel, say this.
Num 6:24-27
24 "’"The LORD bless you and keep you;
25 the LORD make his face shine upon you and be gracious to you;
26 the LORD turn his face toward you and give you peace." ’
27 "So they will put my name on the Israelites, and I will bless them."
We have been given the name above all names and find privileges and responsibilities, but more than that, we find blessing.
Let’s pray.
