Something about that name (Acts 4)
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Text: Acts 4:1-22
CIT: Carrying the name of Jesus is not actually an option.
These men were amazing. Peter and John - superhereos. Can you believe this incredible thing that they did. Healing a man out in front of the Temple Gate? Amazing!
No not really, as a matter of fact that is the point isn’t it. There was nothing all that amazing about these men. But I don’t think that gives Luke reason to lead off with an insult.
While being interrogated, the Priests marvel at these two men. Actually they marvel that they were so bold and ignorant. Simple rule of thumb if your ignorant be bold about it. Now all kidding aside the people of high preists day kept their heads down unless you were among the wise. There was a religious pecking order and it was wise for the unlearned to keep quiet in front of the learned. You see this in our own culture as we lose our freedoms we have been slowly installing an expert class.
We are expected to give up our liberties when one talking head knows more than you. These common fishermen didn’t follow this order.
The text says that they marvelled.
Their history had not put them in line of education
They had been with Jesus
The healed man removed their rebuttal
Miracles were working(16) - “what shall we do with these men?” 5000 believed
They were openly speaking of Spiritual matters.
The passage opens with them having a conversation with the Sadducees who reject the notion that you will rise again (check out last week for an explanation of the Materialist from this text.) But the according to the Apostles the Resurrection of Jesus was not only proof that you can rise again but in Christ we rise again.
Being grieved that they taught the people, and preached through Jesus the resurrection from the dead.
Be it known unto you all, and to all the people of Israel, that by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom ye crucified, whom God raised from the dead, even by him doth this man stand here before you whole.
That is how good apologetics works. We take the Word of the one that rose again from the grave before we take anyone elses’.
We know by the way that these are the same priests that had brought about the Crucifixion of Jesus just weeks before.
They killed Jesus because he claimed to be the Son of God.
The religious rulers of his day probably knew and understood who he was, but they refused to believe or accept him because he threatened their authority… and convicted them of their sin. So they manipulated things to get him killed. If you look at the context of the verse you quote, the same religious leaders that had Jesus killed (Annas, Caiaphas, John and Alexander) now had Peter and John before them.
These two men had just performed a mighty miracle in the name of Jesus (they healed a man crippled from birth). The leaders brought the two apostles before their council called the Sanhedrin and asked, “By what power, or by what name have you done this.”
It is here that something very special happens…
Christ keeps two promises that he had made during his earthly ministry. Jesus isn’t standing over the shoulder of his two newly minted Apostles but he we with them all way.
The Two promises are given by Jesus during his earthly ministry:
First, I will give you and answer (8)
But when they shall lead you, and deliver you up, take no thought beforehand what ye shall speak, neither do ye premeditate: but whatsoever shall be given you in that hour, that speak ye: for it is not ye that speak, but the Holy Ghost.
Many times this promise is misappropriated to be a claim for any Christian of all time to just trust that Jesus will give them an answer when they are put to the test.
Peter told us to get ready to answer.
But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts: and be ready always to give an answer to every man that asketh you a reason of the hope that is in you with meekness and fear: Having a good conscience; that, whereas they speak evil of you, as of evildoers, they may be ashamed that falsely accuse your good conversation in Christ. For it is better, if the will of God be so, that ye suffer for well doing, than for evil doing.
Paul told the Pastors to study.
Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.
The key is that they unlike us didn’t have the Words of this NT and we have a book that gives the answer.
Second, anything you ask I will give.
And whatsoever ye shall ask in my name, that will I do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If ye shall ask any thing in my name, I will do it.
This is what Peter does…every part of this interchange is done in the name of Jesus
the Healing
Then Peter said, 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.
the Credit
And his name through faith in his name hath made this man strong, whom ye see and know: yea, the faith which is by him hath given him this perfect soundness in the presence of you all.
the Sermon
Being grieved that they taught the people, and preached through Jesus the resurrection from the dead.
the Inquisition
And when they had set them in the midst, they asked, By what power, or by what name, have ye done this?
the Glory
Be it known unto you all, and to all the people of Israel, that by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom ye crucified, whom God raised from the dead, even by him doth this man stand here before you whole.
All of it in the Name of Jesus
The apostle Peter responded that they had done this miracle in the name of Jesus “whom you crucified but God raised him from the dead.”
He went on to quote an Old Testament scripture which said, Psalm 118:22
The stone which the builders refused
Is become the head stone of the corner.
and the meaning is clear. They, the religious leaders of the nation, had rejected their own Messiah (Jesus). But God raised him from the dead and made him the Savior of the world, and the head of His church. It was a direct attack on the leaders and their whole council.
Peter continued.
Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved.
Peter’s message was direct and clear. These rulers were rejecting the very means by which they themselves could be saved. Peter was saying the same thing as Jesus taught. John 10:9
I am the door: by me if any man enter in, he shall be saved, and shall go in and out, and find pasture.
God has made a clear way for us to find eternal life, why would we reject that way and try and find another? Jesus said, “Broad is the way that leads to destruction but narrow is the way that leads to life.” One way! As Peter said that day, “No other way under heaven by which we must be saved.”
Paul wrote:
That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.
Christians will typically end their prayers by saying, “In Jesus’ name, Amen.” Yet most Christians don’t know what they mean when they say it. They think it is just a signal to God that they are about done—the prayer equivalent of saying, “OK, I guess I’ll let you go! TTYL.”
But that’s not the point. When you say, “In Jesus’ name,” you are saying, “I am asking for these things according to Jesus’ will, for his glory, and in his power.”
This isn’t something that we do only at a time of prayer… We should be able to say that over literally everything we do.
When we sit down at our desk to start our day, we should say, “In Jesus’ name.”
When we meet up with a friend for lunch, we should think, “In Jesus’ name.”
Next time your late for an appointment get there —“In Jesus’ name.”
When we kiss our spouse when we get home from work: “In Jesus’ name.”
Please don’t start repeating the phrase “In Jesus name at every point in your day. But we should think of every interaction as done in Jesus’ name—that is, On his behalf.
You see that is the point of “In Jesus name.” I am coming on his behalf. When I was a kid I would be tasked to share information or commands with my siblings. If I came to the room and said, “Hey Dad wants you to go help him in the backyard”. They would know that I wasn’t the one enforcing this message. Rather it was my father probably looking to gain help in the care of the back yard that was enforcing it. If they didn’t obey they didn’t answer to me I was simply representing the giver of the message. It was “In my Dad’s name.”
Paul instructed the church in Colossae,
And whatsoever ye do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God and the Father by him.
In every interaction—not just the spiritual ones—we should be able to say, “I am doing this in the name of the Lord Jesus.”
We may look like we’re doing things for and to others, but we’re actually doing things for and to him.
We live for an audience of one:
And whatsoever ye do, do it heartily, as to the Lord, and not unto men; Knowing that of the Lord ye shall receive the reward of the inheritance: for ye serve the Lord Christ.
You may hear the two points of this phrase or at least how it is used.
One is in representation and the other is by the power of…
For the Christian this is both.
When we pray a request in Jesus name we are praying it according to HIS WILL not our own. but we pray knowing that it is only by HIS POWER.
The reason that Peter and John could ask so boldly for healed ankles for this lame man is because of who they represented. And they knew by whose power he was healed.
The name of Jesus isn’t the point. There are no magic words. The name of Jesus is simply pointing to the person of Jesus.
This helps us in a few places.
Often many of the prayers we pray are not in the name of Jesus because they have nothing to do with his will.
When we are making a decision about how to respond to that person that cut us off in traffic—we are responding first and foremost for Jesus.
We may feel like that person doesn’t deserve our kindness, but the question is what represents Jesus.
As you do your job (Colossians 3:22), you are doing it first and foremost as an offering to him. Your boss might be a jerk. He may not be paying you what you deserve—and there’s certainly a time to address that. But even when he does not deserve your best, Jesus does.
The flip side of this is true as well.
Treating your employees with compassion and generosity because you share something in common with them: You’re all servants of the same Master. What you do to them, you do to Jesus (cf. Matthew 25:40).
When you are figuring out how to respond to your spouse (v. 19), who has been unfairly impatient with you all day, you are responding first and foremost on behalf of Jesus. You may not feel like your spouse deserves a kind and tender response, but Jesus does.
Children (v. 20), your parents are not perfect, but they are the God-appointed authority in your life at this time, and how you obey and respect them is how you respect and respond to him. You respond to them first and foremost as a response of Jesus.
Parents, your children are not ultimately yours. They have been given to you by God, and he intends for you to shepherd them with the same patience and grace that God has shown you. How you interact with them should say, “I do this in the name of the Lord Jesus.”
These false teacher didn’t know what to do with Peter and John. They had spoiled the whole Temple. So they give them a stern warning, Here is the answer…
But Peter and John answered and said unto them, Whether it be right in the sight of God to hearken unto you more than unto God, judge ye. For we cannot but speak the things which we have seen and heard.
The Apostles lived on behalf of Jesus everywhere they went because they knew that God was watching them. This is not a warning this was to his glory. God watches you. And living to the name of Jesus means you will take some losses and go without certain material things. But understand that you will never live in the name of Jesus and God miss it. He will see you.
Buy in: People will not buy into this because we have seen to many times when it works fine without.
It is temptation. Because we have experienced so many times when we lived for self only for the sky to remain in tact and nothing bad happen. So we get the sensation that we will never have to bear the evil of living in our own name.
Please understand that God will not miss the opportunity to watch you glorify him by simply living for his Son.
He will not miss the opportunity to bless you for living for his Son.
You will answer to him one day - do so in the name of his Son.