No Other Name

Once again, a great privilege to gather together and worship this Lord's day to hear God's word to us. Last week, we were reading in the book of Acts and today we're going to continue with the same circumstance, though. Slightly different you may recall last week we discussed the lame man from birth to now well, over 40 years of age. Peter and John had spoken to him in the faith of Jesus Christ. And said, by the name of Jesus Christ, rise up and walk. That was quite a moving moment and we dealt with the people who gathered to see what had happened and today we will gather to hear what takes place with the rulers for between what we read last week and what we read today. We need to know that Peter and John were arrested along with the lame man. And they were held overnight for an emergency meeting the next day by the ruling Council. So let us pray and ask the God would open the word to us that we might hear what God has to teach us. Oh, mighty God. You are wonderful. In a world that is ever-changing. And in circumstances that leave us often wondering where to place our feet for foundation. Oh mighty God, you are always there.

Ready to show us that you are the one foundation in whom we may Trust.

Help us O, Lord this morning to hear your word through your spirit, may you speak to each of us. such that we might emerge from this place renewed, strengthened and with a clear sense of our role before you, we pray this in your precious name. Amen.

Listen now for the word of the Lord beginning in Acts chapter 4? Beginning at the 5th verse, On the next day. Their rulers and elders and scribes gather together in Jerusalem. With Anna's the high priest and Caiaphas and John and Alexander and all who were of the high Priestly family. and when they had set them in the midst, They enquired By what power. By what name did you do this?

Then Peter filled with the Holy Spirit said to them. Rulers of the people and elders. If we are being examined today, concerning a good deed done to a crippled man. By what means this man has been healed. Let it be known to all of you and to all the people of Israel that by the name of Jesus, Christ of Nazareth, whom you crucified whom God raised from the dead. By him, This man is standing before you. Well, this Jesus is the stone that was rejected by you the builders which has become the Cornerstone And there is no salvation and there is salvation in no one else for. There is no other name under Heaven given among among men by which we must be saved.

now, when they saw the boldness of Peter and John and perceived that they were uneducated, common men, they were astonished And they recognized that they had been with Jesus. And seeing the man who was healed standing beside them. They had nothing to say in opposition. But when they commanded them to leave the council, they confirmed with one another saying. What should we do with these men? For that, a notable sign has been performed through them, is evident to all the inhabitants of Jerusalem and we cannot deny it. But in order that it may spread no further among the people, let us warn them to speak. No more to anyone in this name. So they called them and charged them not to speak or teach at all in the name of Jesus. But Peter and John answered them. Whether it is right in the sight of God, to listen to you. Rather than to God, you must judge for we cannot but speak of what we have seen and heard.

And when they further threatened them, they let them go finding no way to punish them because of the people, we're all were praising God for what had happened for the man on whom this sign of healing was performed was more than 40 years old. This is the word of the Lord. Thanks be to God.

Wow. What an event? Last week, we were with them on the east, side of the Temple, Mount under Solomon's Portico or the porch as it were where they were teaching. All those who would run to them, to understand what had happened and how it happened

And then, as I mentioned last week, time was running out and towards the evening they were arrested. And they were placed in a holdover tank as it were until the next day. So that they might travel from the east side of the temple to more than likely the west side of the temple where the court action would often take place. And we read that they they gathered there together before the rulers, the elders, the chief priests and the whole, Chief priest family. We're often told though it says, here, the council the word really is the Sanhedrin. And we're often told that the Sanhedrin was the religious ruling body of Jerusalem in the surrounding area. In truth, it was more than that. It was the established Roman Council there. Oh, there was a governor over them as well, but this was the Council of Rome like to operate by establishing local, councils Local rulers, who were beholden to Rome and would act on behalf of Rome often and with the power of Rome behind them. Giving instruction. So where the Jewish Council was largely made up of religious leaders, it wasn't all fully religious leaders. Even the chief priest was chosen by Rome a clear offense as it was to begin with and Rome liked to keep things hereditary. Keep things moving on, in the same line. And so, we get this list of Caiaphas to me and us, who wasn't really even the high priest anymore Caiaphas was, and John, and Alexander whole list of those who served as high priests all in the same family, all in charge, they were the ones who would break those tie votes. Peter and John have been dragged before the full and ultimate power of Rome. And of their fellow believers. There they are in the midst of incredible power and they are on trial, don't mistake it just like so often we feel we are on trial. When we are just engaged in conversations with others and someone is ready to pin us down to place upon us. What we often feel as a litmus question, how many of us have danced around the litmus questions of? How were engaging this pandemic mask or no mask, vaccine or no vaccine will you keep social distancing or won't you is that inside or outside? Are you Republican or Democrat? Are you Progressive or conservative? How many conversations do we dance around? Because we know the questions that are being asked of us are trying to elicit where we fall I know, whatever matter of issues. Do black lives matter or all lives matter, careful with your answer. In every way, we know what it is to be on trial and everyday conversations. We know what it is to be pinned down, we know what it is to be. Put in a place of whether or not we are going to confess.

Confess. This is the first of four characteristics of our character as Christians that we are going to explore In this passage confess. Are we ready to confess? I remember growing up in grade school and middle school and high school and the idea of confessing myself as a Christian had a certain weight if I did. So I could be easily cast out of all sorts of different engagements with friends. But that never really changed. I thought we grow out of that, it turns out. Now, when someone asked me what do I do, I kind of pause. Because I know that the moment I confess that I'm a minister of Jesus Christ, I lose all opportunity to hear any good jokes.

now, if I'm sitting next to someone on a plane who really is annoying me, I'm more than happy to confess who I am because the conversation kind of stops

We know that to confess immediately places us in a certain position.

Peter and John are before the power of Jerusalem and the representation of Rome they are on trial. Let us make no mistake of what is happening here. And when were on trial, we try to do everything, we can not to disturb. The judge will get to that in a moment.

And they are asked simply by what power or in. What name did you do this? In other words, they want to know how do you do this? How did you do that? We are full of how did you do that? You bake something good and someone asks you for the recipe because they want to know how did you do that? You get a hold of $100 flights all the way down to cancoon. And someone ask. How did you do that?

The other day, my children were trying to pop wheelies on their bikes. And I got on, and I did more than a wheelie. I did a bunny hop. For those of you who don't know what that is, I can get both wheels up in the air at the same time. I can even kick it out. If I want to. and when I did that, my children suddenly had awe for their father once again, How did you do that?

We are full of how did you do that? And they are being asked, how did you do that and the time? For confession has come

if you're asking, About a good thing. Done for a man who was lame.

You're asking how he was healed.

Then let it be known. It was in the name of Jesus Christ.

Our first job as Christians is to confess the power and where it comes from. Because there's a world of people hurting out there. during last week's reading of Acts and this week's reading of Acts, we have seen a trial that the whole nation was listening into because there's tremendous pain and struggle in this nation, over racism and Injustice. How do we handle this? How do we go forward questions that are enormously difficult questions, which would should have us on our knees for our leaders each and every day?

In the course of this. Last week we watched a monarch who has ruled longer than any other say goodbye to her husband and quietly. Celebrates almost in solitude her birthday.

We've watched Nations rush to assist a pakistanis sub. That is feared lost racing to try and free the sailors to find the sub. Only to hear. Yesterday that the mission is over and the sub is considered lost.

We could go on and on through the news stories, we see a world that is hurting and in need of healing. If a lame man from birth can stand up and walk in our brothers and sisters who are in pain and suffering. Mental suffering. Physical suffering. There is hope. There is hope.

How did you do that?

By faith, in the name of Jesus Christ.

The first and foremost thing in the list is for us to confess why we even gather. Because we're gathering in Hope. We're Gathering in hope that God can do something more than what we see. Which brings us to the second item. If our first item here is to confess our second one is to confront. To confront the world as it is to confront the powers that we encounter as they are. Remember who's on trial here Peter and John are on trial and yet in the midst of the trial, when you want to do everything right before the judge, and you don't come before the judge dressed in blue jeans that are ripped and torn. And a shirt that's wrinkled. You come in your best dress. Or suits. You answer? Yes, sir. And no sir. Yes, ma'am. And no ma'am. you give every bit of Honor you can

and yet Peter and John do not dishonor but rather speak a confrontational reality.

Look, you're trying us for something that has been done. That has been good. Let's talk about who really is on trial here.

You want to know by what power and by what name? The name of Jesus Christ? Yes the same Jesus Christ that you crucified.

Peter and John are ready to confront the powers that are, the powers that have drawn them in and place them on trial. The powers that have said, you are disrupting. What we have going here.

Peter doesn't stop just there he is. Led by the spirit he is led to explain the reality. He's not only saying you crucified them but he goes on to apply the scriptural passage from Psalm 118. I think it's verse twenty. I could be off a few verses, but from Psalm 118 a very familiar passage, that is known to everyone. The stone that the builders rejected has become the Capstone or the Cornerstone. Even as I say that you have heard that the stone that the builders have rejected has become the Capstone or the Cornerstone. And Peter says, you are the builders. He confronts. He confronts in each and everyone of us in all the powers, the sense of Builders. What does he mean? He's not just setting out of group that is just simply religious leaders or a group from Rome and setting them aside and allows us to just swipe them aside. He speaking to the truth that we all struggle with that Builder within us. We spend our lives building. Building our structures to contain our world in to operate our world, so it can be as we want it to be. We watches are young children, play with blocks and build and we Marvel at it. We watch as our children play house

and build. A world. We watches our children growing, begin to fill out what their future will be. Who will they become? They begin answering the questions that we have. When we first told them in our arms, who will they be when we start to see what they are building?

We recognize each and every time that we go to bring about a change, the difficulty that is because we are running up against someone or some groups previous sense of building.

These chairs were moved. Praise be to God.

Because I've been in a church before where I had to fill out a form. To get a key to be able to use the church China.

My wife was saying to me the other day. I think the greatest need of a church is elasticity.

The ability to be flexible. Because we're always building and always securing and locking down, making sure our world is tight. And in order, in the way we want it to be in. Believe you, me I struggle with control just like everyone else.

and Jesus says,

or actually, Peter says you are the builders We as Christians are to confront those principalities those rulers. Those struggles that are holding people back.

So yeah, police reform is needed.

They're still Injustice in the world. But we know what it is for the pendulum to go fully the other way.

There's a work for us to speak to, in all of this. We are called to confront. We're called to confront in the name of Jesus Christ and that confrontation begins with this reality. In the name of Jesus Christ. Why did they speak in the name of Jesus Christ? Because as they say, you crucified him their next words are and God raised him from the dead. We put an instrument of torture in our worship as some kind of thing to celebrate, but we're celebrating is that he's no longer on the cross. What we are celebrating is that he went to the Cross to die for us and that God has removed him and raised him. And if God can raise the dead, God can make a lame man. Walk God can heal us of our diseases. Peter is not stopping there.

Cuz it's in this confrontation.

That he points out the larger worldview or what we said last week is orientation.

He says there is no other name. on earth. No other name on Earth or among men. To whom salvation can come. There's no other name. And that salvation is not just our healing in this world. It is our healing in the world to come and it is actually the same word as the word used for the healing of the lame man. Earlier it is the same word. When we speak of Salvation, we're speaking of our ultimate healing, when we will finally and fully be at peace.

and until we see that, We are called. when standing before the litmus test, To be ready to confront in the spirit if the spirit leads us.

Brings us to our third item.

the leaders, when they brought him in thought they fully had all the power, They thought they were fully the ones in the driver's seat, they were gathered around, probably in a half circle with Peter and John, and even the lame man standing there.

But they were struck by the third item that we are called to live into. They were struck. By their confidence.

They were struck by their boldness. They are confident. Says, they were bold. They were bold in every way and, and it didn't make sense. What do they have to stand there with such boldness? How can they be so bold? They could see that they were uneducated.

That they were common. They were followers of Jesus earlier on three strikes against them. Three things that shouldn't be working in their favor uneducated. That means that they were not at all trained as the scribes were trained. All they were raised and Tora but they didn't know it backwards. And forwards didn't know all the arguments related to it. They didn't know that Rabbi so-and-so says this. And Rabbi so-and-so says this. And how do we deal with those two conversations? They were largely uneducated. And they were common. Which is the say that there was nothing special to them. They didn't have anything that would recommend them, or say, wow, here's a diamond in the rough. I mean, we're all familiar with the farmer who can come out to the field and and speak more wisdom than what we'll find on Wall Street. We all know that story in that tale, but that's not the case you. They are common everyday men.

And yet they have confidence. They have boldness. and, Their leader, who was crucified, they were followers of, it's not too long ago that they were hiding behind locked doors. So now, when they come before the same counsel who tried Jesus in the middle of the night, you would think they would have every reason to be cowering and running for the hills Jesus, I don't know any Jesus, I don't know what happened to that man. I don't know why he's walking.

But instead, they have confidence. Why Because they know the power of Jesus name.

Look, if we are. Confessing Christ.

Then we need to get familiar with the power of Jesus's name. And I'm not talking about some magical incantation in the name of Jesus. No, that's not what I'm talking about. I'm tired about the inner confidence. That comes from knowing the trustworthiness of Jesus as Lord and savior.

You know, my children will call upon me for help. I don't always give them the help they want. If I'm asked to weigh in , on a fight. I don't always side with the one who called me.

But one thing is certain, they know the authority with which I come.

As Christians, we need to live in this world. Trusting in a God, who is entered into this world and is not afraid, but rather more than willing to be part of this world. The more we live is it that is a future event and not a right now. The more we missed the whole reason he came

He came to empower us. Be bold enough to speak in his name and to trust that his name will change the lives of others. That others will be changed. As we have been changed. We need to have that level of confidence to trust that even when were speaking to someone who looks hard as nails and there's no chance that God may be calling us to speak in that moment. Because With God, all things are possible.

Which brings us to the fourth and last one, and I apologize. Because I would have liked to have made them all work with con. You know the idea of confronting and confidence and confess it all work. Real. Nice least. I ended up with a c word. And that is choice.

So, moving from confessing and confronting and confidence, we move finally to choice.

You see after the leaders conferred, after throwing them out of the council for a little bit, they conferred what are we going to do? And they call them back in and they said, no more no more in this name. Stop it.

And Peter's answer is really quite something.

I'll read it to you again.

Whether it is right.

Whether it is right in the sight of God.

Whether it is right in the sight of God, to listen to you, rather than to God, to listen to you, rather than to God. You must judge.

That's the choice.

Someone else's just put us in a position of making a choice. And Peter goes on to say,

We cannot. But speak of what we have seen and heard. Seen and heard. He is speaking to what they have witnessed. What they have experienced? What is true for them?

I know, because I've been here with you. We have experienced healing. We have experienced people's lives being prolong when the cancer was certain to take them far earlier. We have experienced life-altering change in people. We've seen it. And if we haven't seen it, we have also heard of it.

We have heard of the change.

You see where Builders when we keep to ourselves, how we're working on our lives, and how it's going. Well, and we keep a nice facade out, and everybody can see we're good. And we fail, when we do that of sharing, what Jesus Christ is doing in our lives because someone else might need to hear what happened to us can happen to them. I'm amazed that the people who will run up when someone loses weight. How do you do it? That's amazing. Are you sick?

Cuz we're hungry to be fixed. We're hungry to be well.

If you're struggling with some form of addiction, even if it has accepted addiction, how do you get off it? How do you stop doing all the diet coke?

We are called to share. Cuz in that sharing is a choice. That we have seen, and we have heard? The truth is, most everyone here is here because they're standing on the shoulders of a choice. Someone else made before you. To believe. Someone else who saw and heard. To believe. And they were standing on the shoulders of someone else who saw and heard enough with this nonsense of, it's all it's just, you were raised in that culture know, I'm sorry when it comes down to the big things in life. Ultimately, we come to a choice. God won't let us avoid it. There is a choice to be made. Do We Believe it or don't? We, is it true for us? Is it not?

My wife's grandfather was a minister in the pilgrim. Holiness Church?

But he wasn't always. And his wife wasn't always had a very different life.

Choices. Choosing to see that God Can Make a Difference and God has made a difference. You know, it's the ones who have really seen a difference for the ones who were out there, ready to Proclaim and say, hey, this is the way.

Recognize each and every time someone is calling you to make a choice.

It's an opportunity to grow and realize that God can do something amazing through you.

We cannot help but speak about what we have seen and what we have heard.

Wether to listen to you or The God, you can be the judge. I think Peter's taking the side of God. And I pray. That we will too.

Because as Peter was speaking to those leaders. There's one tiny detail.

That we might have overlooked.

Peter was there. John was there? And standing right beside them. Was the lame man.

No voice in all this interaction. But you bet He wasn't sitting there shaking. He was listening intently to what Peter had to say. Cuz he's now standing.

And he shaking he has. It's probably cuz he's ready to do another jig.

By what power? Or in. What name did you do this?

Let it be known. And there is no other name. On Earth. Or among men. That can bring Salvation but the name of Jesus Christ. Amen.