The Name Of Jesus Series

(adapted from a series by Tom Ellsworth)

SERIES: “DISCOVER JESUS: The Other 3:16’s”

TEXT: ACTS 3:11-20

TITLE: “THE NAME OF JESUS”

OPEN: A. What is so important about a name?

1. How would feel if nobody knew your name?

a. When my youngest son was small, he couldn’t remember people’s names

--especially if they were his approximate age and were in the same grade at school

b. He developed the plan of just calling all his male friends, “Buddy.”

--“How’s it going, buddy?” “Hey, buddy.” “Watch this, buddy.”

c. How many of us do that with people?

--“Hey, big guy.” “How’s it going, friend?”

2. If you frequent a business, you expect them to know you by name and to greet you by name

when you walk in the door

--We like to hear our name – we want people to know our name because when they know our

name, we feel like they know us

B. I will say that there are some people that might not be very happy with their given names and want

to change their given names

--others just suffer through with whatever names their parents dropped on them

1. Some of the worst names I know of belong to preachers

--The fellow that used to minister with the Lebanon Christian Church in Lebanon, IN

was named Harry Pitts

2. But worst name of all time belongs to a now-deceased Christian church preacher

a. Last name was O-D-O-R (Odor) like, “Whew!”

b. You’d probably have trouble with that last name even if you first name was John, Bill, or

George.

--People would still probably snicker

c. But this fellow’s first name made it even worse

--I-V-A-N: Ivan Odor

d. We sometimes call ministers in our movement, “Brother”.

--It would make it hard to introduce yourself as “Brother Ivan Odor”; especially if they

said, “You sure do!”

2. Maybe you’ve heard this classic newspaper classified ad:

--LOST DOG - $50 REWARD. Black and tan dog of poodle and German Shepherd descent.

Flea-bitten. Left hind leg missing, bald in patches, blind in one eye, left ear bitten off in dog

fight. Answers to the name of “Lucky”.

C. Several weeks ago, we started the series: “Discovering Jesus: The Other 3:16’s”

1. We looked at 1 Jn. 3:16 – “The Love of Jesus

2. We looked at Luke 3:16 – “The Power of Jesus”

3. Today we’re looking at Acts 3:16 – “The Name of Jesus”

--Acts 3:16 – “By faith in the name of Jesus, this man whom you see and know was made strong.

It is Jesus’ name and the faith that comes through him that has given this complete healing to

him, as you can all see.”

D. Twice in this single verse, there is a reference to the name of Jesus.

--This occurrence is not an isolated instance

1. 75 times in the Gospels and Acts we find phrases like: the name of Jesus, the name of the Lord,

his name, etc.

2. Jesus’ name is one of power and hope. Let me tell you the story and the context of this verse.

3. We have to go back to the beginning of Acts Chapt. 3

--This morning, I want to give you the story in a simple children’s song.

Peter and John went to pray

They met a lame man on the way

He stuck out his palm and asked for an alm

And this is what Peter did say:

“Silver and gold have I none

But such as I have give I thee;

In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth

Rise up and walk!”

He went walking and leaping and praising God

Walking and leaping and praising God

“In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth,

Rise up and walk!”

4. The Bible tells us that this fellow had been unable to walk since the day he was born

a. His handicap prevented him from walking to the Temple so friends or family had to carry him

there on a daily basis

--The Bible tells us that it was some kind of deformity with his feet and ankles

b. This deformity of his feet and ankles prevented him from working for a living so he had to

support himself by begging money from others

c. The fellow thought that he was going to get a hand-out but instead got a hand-up!

5. The Bible tells us that the people were amazed

--here was the same fellow who had sat and begged for alms in the same spot in the temple for

years yet now he’s “walking and leaping and praising God”!

6. Let’s pick up the narrative of the Scripture at this point

--Acts 3:11-20 – “While the beggar held on to Peter and John, all the people were astonished and