THE BOLDNESS OF THE NAME
ACTS 4:9-12 P2.
Mini-series...by next time much of excitement is gone...
Review...vs. 7...8 Peter filled with boldness
The name of Jesus was the secret of the boldness of the apostles. The Lord had promised to be with them and whatever they asked in His name would be given them.
As we have seen, it was in the name of the Lord Jesus that they had healed the lame man who now stood before Sanhedrin as living proof. And yet, it was with a prideful, mocking tone that the high priest had asked by what name they had performed the miracle.
He was implying that it was by some magical formula or words of an exorcist that had caused this miracle to take place. But Peter's response was much more than the Sanhedrin had bargained for.
At that time, the word "name" meant the nature, personality, authority and power of a person. We talked about this before. In Hebrew, the name of God was synonymous with His presence.
For example, 2 Samuel 7:13 speaks of the name of God dwelling in His sanctuary. The biblical name for God indicates His attributes. Jesus came in the name of the Lord and sent His disciples out to preach and heal in His name.
To speak or act in the name of another was to invoke his presence and power. Note that when Jesus healed or did a miracle, He did not do it by God's name. He was the name Emmanuel, God with us.
The authority and power which was in Him was now delegated and entrusted to the apostles and the church. By His name -His presence- they were empowered to do what He had done during His ministry here on earth.
I've repeated this point over and over the last several weeks, but it needs to be repeated until you really catch hold of the truth and impact it has for each of you.
Just as Jesus had said to the man by the pool of Bethesda, "Rise, take up your bed and walk" (John 5:8), so too in His power the apostles said to the beggar, "In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, rise up and walk" (Acts 3:6).
It had worked just as Jesus had promised. The power of the living Christ was at work through them. The actual evidence of healing had revived and increased their faith.
This explains the boldness before the Sanhedrin. Personal experiences of the power of the name working through us make us unafraid, ready for anything people.
The question is...have you experienced - personally - the power of the name? If not, why? What holds you back from taking God at His word? What keeps you from believing that Jesus really is the same yesterday, today, and forever?
Peter did experience it...and now he begins to soar in his clear, driving witness. He wants no mistake as to what name healed the lame man. It was Jesus of Nazareth, the same Jesus that the Sanhedrin crucified.
Peter actually accused the leaders of the death of Jesus. Bold! Then he went on to make very clear that this Jesus was none other than the Messiah.
He quoted Psalm 118:22, "The stone that the builders rejected has become the chief cornerstone" and Isaiah 28:16. "Behold, I lay in Zion a stone for a foundation, a tried stone, a precious cornerstone, a sure foundation; whoever believes will not act hastily."
This was another vital source of boldness for Peter...the standard and the authority of Scripture. Jesus Christ was the fulfillment of the prophets of old...
He was the foundation stone or the keystone at the top of the corner, binding the walls together where they meet. Both meanings are intended by Peter.
The point for us is that when we are founded on Scripture, on more than our own ideas, feelings, or experience...we are able to speak with unbridled audacity.
Peter had the testimony of the Old Testament Scriptures that contained the prophesies about the Messiah. Throughout the preaching of Acts and the teaching of the epistles, there is always a fresh explosion of excitement and enthusiasm when ancient Scripture is identified with the coming of Christ and His ministry among us.
My life is spent studying the Scriptures and working with people... and the two can never be separated. Boldness in loving, and preaching & teaching, and helping people discover the power of Christ is empowered by daily inspiration in the Word of God. The power of the name almost explodes from every page.
The powerful name of Jesus is available to us today. It's time we discover that the power in His name unlocks the resources of God. In the name of Christ, we have access to the heart of God...and an assurance of His availability through the Holy Spirit.
But I think that it's time for an accountability check. Why is there so little evidence of the power of Jesus' name being used in Christianity today?
Why do we wring our hands at all the unmet human need in our churches today? Some questions need to be asked:
1. Do we believe that Jesus was who He said He was?
2. Did He do the miraculous works of God recorded in the gospels?
3. Do we accept that what Jesus did on earth, He continued to do through the apostles and the early church?
4. Is He ready and willing to do the same today?
5. Are we open to the possibility that this can be an age of miracles if we dare to believe and pray boldly - in Jesus' name?
6. What is in me, or my church, that has blighted our boldness with the result of expecting little...and settling for it?
Let's move on to verse 12 (READ)
A driving boldness is the result of the conviction not just that Jesus saves...but only Jesus saves. Many times I wonder if we really believe that!
Right here in our midst I see people who are trusting in their own good works...believing that God will put the good on one side and bad on the other, and hopefully the scales will tip to the right side.
After all, you're just as good if not better than so & so...or maybe even half the people here. You try to live a decent life, go to church, even give and help out when you can.
But it¡¦s all wood, hay and stubble that will be burned away as chaff... if you're depending on anything other than Jesus, and Jesus alone for your salvation.
The key word in this verse is "salvation" - soteria - the free gift of deliverance from sin. It actually means healing and health, wholeness and oneness.
It's a magnificent word that stands for everything Jesus came to be and do for us. Through His life, death and resurrection we are reconciled to God.
The cross was a one-time, neverto-be-repeated sacrifice for the sins of the whole world. When we accept His atoning death for our sin, we are forgiven and set free from guilt and condemnation. We are born again, beginning a new life as a loved and forgiven new creature.
When we let God love us, a new creation begins, the past is forgiven and healed, and the future is opened to amazing possibilities of freedom and joy. We come alive - now and forever! GLORY!
The Holy Spirit comes to live in us and the process of making us whole people begins. We can dare to be ourselves as loved without reservation by God. If that is really true in our lives there should be no way we could contain the joy and delight we feel.
And the aching needs of our hungry hearts are fed by a daily, moment-by-moment companionship with the Holy Spirit. Layer by layer He penetrates our will and our mind and our emotions until we have the mind of Christ.
The reason for the decline of Christianity in America is that we have lost the "Christ only" spirit. We need Peter's boldness to preach and teach and then model with our living, that there is no other way.
In this one statement of Peter, he brushed aside nationalism, the sacrificial system of Israel, and the rules and regulations of religion. Christ is all - or not at all. Christ alone can save us!
This verse was spoken to the religious leaders of Israel. Religious pride and self-justification had become a substitute for God and a personal relationship with Him. The same is true today.
The great challenge of our time is to introduce religious people to Christ and a saving experience of His love. One of the most remarkable things that is happening is that many church people are discovering the reality of what they've heard for years.
A fresh experience of God's grace, the transformation of human personality and a Spirit-empowered life is the aching need in our church today.
Maybe it's the aching need in your heart. This morning I would like everyone to bow your head and close your eyes...and ask yourself this question? Where do I stand today?
Do I really believe the Bible...that Jesus is the only way...that He desires so much more of me that I've allowed Him to have...that there is more for me than I've been willing to believe for.
I believe there are several here this morning that need to do some business with God...and I believe He is here to meet us as we give Him the chance to work within us...
There are several who have never given your heart to the Lord...oh, sure, you believe in God, but you've never made Him your Savior and Lord...you need to come.
There are others who are living in a way that you know is in direct disobedience to His word...it's time to get right with God, and let Him help you straighten out your situation...
There are others who need the power of the Holy Spirit to live that overcoming, abundant life...to give you divine guidance and help in finding the answers to some tough decisions...to make you a bold witness in a hostile world....you need to come
The altars are open...the Holy Spirit is here in all His power and all His gentleness to meet your need - if you'll just come believing.ƒh
