Acts #07 No Other Name
Acts Series #7
Back to the Beginning:
When Church was Church
No Other Name
Acts 4:12
"I can Do what I want to do"
"You aren't the boss of me"
"The Devil made me do it"
"I didn't want to cheat but my coach told me to"
"I didn't want to lie on my reports, on the phone call, to the inspector, but my boss told me to"
"It's NOT illegal so that means I can do it"
"It's illegal to speak the truth, so …"
"Don't blame me, I'm not in charge"
The Sadducees asked Peter and John "By what power, or what name did you do this?"
How did you do this and
Who told you that you could do this
Let me ask YOU a question today … By what name, authority, power, do you live and move and have your being?
"I'm a self-made man"
"I'm my own woman"
"I'm making my own way in the world"
Really? Well … good luck with that
Proverbs 16 has some things to say about our "authority"
V1 - to man belongs the plans of the heart, but from the Lord comes the reply of the tongue
V3 - Commit to the Lord whatever you do, and your plans will succeed
V9 - in his heart a man plans his course, but the Lord determines his steps
Pro 19:21 - Many are the plans in a man's heart, but it is the Lord's purpose that prevails
In him we Live and move and have our being
1. Authority - exousia
authority - exousia - ex-o-see-ah - means power of choice, liberty of doing as one pleases, the power of authority of influence, and of right in privilege, power of rule or government - the power of the one whose will and commands must be submitted to by others
Authority in Teaching - old traditions and false Doctrine goes out the window when Jesus comes to reign because he has authority that surpasses man's traditions
Mark 1:22 the people were amazed at his teaching, because he taught them as one who had authority, not as the teachers of the law
Authority over Demons -
Mark 1:27 the people were so amazed that they asked each other "what is this? New teaching - and with authority! He even gives orders to evil spirits and they obey him"
Eph 1:21 far above all rule and authority, power and dominion, and every title that can be given, not only in the present age but also n the one to come
1 Peter 3:22 - (Jesus) who has gone into heaven and is at God's right hand - with angels, authorities and powers in submission to him
A. In Prayer -
1. John 14:14 - I will do whatever you ask in my name, so that the Son may bring glory to the Father. 14 You may ask me for anything in my name and I will do it
2. John 15:7 - if you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be given you
3. 1 Jo 5:15 - if we know he hears us - whatever we ask - we know that we have what we asked of him
4. John 16:23 … I tell you the truth, my Father will give you whatever you ask in my name
B. Over satan's attack -
1. Eph 6:12-17 - our struggle is NOT against flesh and blood but against rulers … authorities … powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms
2. Put on the whole armor
3. What Protects us in the armor - JESUS CHRIST is in EVERY piece of Armor - that protects, empowers, and gives us authority over the evil one -
4. Breastplate of Righteousness - Jesus is OUR Righteousness - Romans 3:22 - the righteousness from God comes through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe …
2 Cor 5:21 (in Christ) we become the righteousness of God
5. Belt of Truth - Jesus said I am the way the truth and the life …
6. Feet - Gospel - Rom 1:18 not ashamed of the gospel of Jesus Christ … it is the power of God
7. Shield of Faith - Faith in what? - The Cross of Christ - When I believe that Christ WON at the Cross, that he defeated every foe, that he forgave every sin and defeated every temptation, that because of the Cross, no weapon formed against me has to prosper, THEN the fiery darts are extinquished
8. The Helmet of Salvation - salvation in who? From whom, by whom? JESUS CHRIST
9. Sword of the Spirit - The Word of God - who IS the Word of God - Jesus Christ - John 1:1 - The Word was with God, the Word was God … 14 the Word became flesh and dwelt among us
C. over Sin
1. Romans 8:10 If Christ is in you, your body is dead because of sin, yet your spirit is alive because of righteousness 11And if the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead is living in you, he who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through his Spirit, who lives in you
2. Romans 8:37 in all things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us
3. Romans 7:24,25 What a wretched man I am! Who will rescue me from this body of death? Thanks be to God - through Jesus Christ our Lord!
There IS NO Other Name that has Authority - exousia - which is available
- in prayer
- Over Satan
- Over Sin
There is also NO Other Name of Rights and Authority but also
2. Healing and Power
that's the Greek word dynamos - that is the inherent power available by no other name but JESUS
I won't spend a lot of time here, but … There is NO other name that can do what Jesus did for this man, but it is NOT about making a lame man walk it was about his ability to make a broken man WHOLE
This man needed health and there is no other name that could do for him what had been done
He had been at the gates of the Temple for decades but Religion couldn't do it for him
There were plenty of influential and famous names of the day that went by this man every day
Annas - everyone knew him, he was high priest from AD 6 - 15 and the Patriarch of this priestly famous family
Caiaphas - high priest since AD 18 and known for getting rid of that radical Jesus of Nazareth
His famous family including John and Alexander
But those famous names couldn't bring health and wholeness to this man.
Just because everyone knows the name doesn't mean the name has power
But the name of Jesus has dynamos - power that is the power that healed this man
It's NOT about What Jesus did for him, it is about his ABILITY to do all things
In Mark 5 there was a woman who had dealt with a disease in her body for 15 years
She had been to many names
She had spent all she had the scripture tells us but only got worse
But she came to Jesus …
She worked her way through the crowd, and threw herself at the feet of Jesus touching the HEM of his garment and she was healed, she was made whole and Jesus said "who touched my clothes?" Because he had realized that Power had gone out of him.
Jesus doesn't just have a fancy title and fearful authority.
He has the real power to go with it.
Adolf Hitler had authority and power of numbers who blindly followed him, but when his followers were gone, he took his own life in fear because he had no REAL power
Saddam Hussein had power to rule a nation in fear and cruelty, but when someone finally stepped up and took away his power i.e. his guards, his money, his safety, he ran, and he hid in a hole and when they found him he said "I'm Saddam Hussein and I want to negotiate the terms of my surrender"
Those men and countless other men who had authority but limited power lost their position and their power when their followers left.
But Jesus Christ has not only Authority, Rights, and Privilege, but he has the POWER, of Life and the Power of Death and his power is NOT conditional on his followers or anything else, his power is inherent in his nature and being
There is NO other name that has the power that Jesus has, power over life, power over death, and power in the future
Luke 21:27 - says at that time, they will see the Son of Man coming in a cloud with power and great glory
We are Vehicles for God's Power in the Name of Jesus be shown to the World
2 Cor 4:7,8 God said "let light shine out of darkness" made his light shine in our hearts to give us the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Christ 12 But we have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us
It goes on to say we are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perpleed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not abandoned, struck down but not destroyed - why? Because of The Name, Jesus Christ
The Name who is King of kings and Lord of lords
The Name who is above every name
The Name to whom every knee will bow and every tongue will confess that Jesus is Lord
There is No other name that has Authority -
There is No other name of Healing and Power
There is No other name that holds Life and Hope
3. Life and Hope
Jeremiah 29:11 - I know the plans I have for you declares the Lord, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future
Why? - because he has the Authority, Right, Power, to do so
There is No Other name that holds Life
Other Religions claim to hold the secret to life
Other Names profess to know the way to find life
Infomercials are full of people who say they can tell you the way to find the life you are looking for
But there is no other name that boldly, without apology, proclaimed that he IS LIFE.
It's the Greek word zoe - which is by definition - the absolute fullness of life
There is no other name that said
I Am the Life - ZOE - is life essential and ethical - it is in the person of Jesus Christ and it is what you seek
Jesus said, I am the Bread of Life - if you want Life, CONSUME him
There is NO Substitute
You can't get a generic Jesus and still have LIFE
You might exist for a time but you won't have life if you don't have Jesus
Peter - Said that There is NO OTHER NAME
Name - onoma (on-om-ah)
It refers the proper name, the person himself, the reputation of the person, and the category the person falls into
Peter was saying there is No Other NAME like Jesus - Just the Mention of His NAME
There is no name that has been so attacked by critics and slanders than the Name of Jesus
Yet There is no name so cried out to by men in fox holes, women in dire straits, children hurt and scared, than the name of Jesus
There is no other name about which more songs have been authored or books and poems have been written than the name Jesus
There is no other person like Jesus, no other name like Jesus, no other with the Reputation of Jesus, there is no other in the same category as Jesus
But Peter said there is no other name as Beautiful as Jesus
But there is no other name with the IMPERITIVE of Jesus
A. MUST
He said by which we MUST be saved - That word must means IT IS NECESSARY - not only necessary but it means necessity brought on by circumstances or by the conduct or necessity established by the counsel and decree of God
It is NOT a choice which you can freely choose, it is a choice of life or death blessing and destruction
Our circumstance is that we are dead in our trespasses and sin
John 3:18 - whoever believes in him is not condemned but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because he has not believed in the name of God's one and only Son.
There is no other name that requires action on our part but the name of Jesus
When you stand before God one day he will not want to know who you've known here.
But God will want to know, "What have you done with Jesus Christ"
"What have you done with my Son"
John 20:31 - these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name
But did you notice about this name it says that there is no other name GIVEN
B. Given
1. We don't earn the right to the name of Jesus
2. But God has given it and made it available to whosoever will call upon it
3. John 3:16 HE GAVE
4. Ro 10:13 - Whoever calls on the name of the Lord will be saved
Because of Man's sinfulness and the Holiness of God, the very name of God and it's pronunciation was lost over the centuries. The wouldn't even write it completely because they didn't want to take his name in vain so they would just right the letters YHWH - we have taken the vowels from ADONAI meaning Lord and inserted them in to make it Yahweh but we don't know for sure even the NAME of God
In our sin we lost the name of God BUT in Redemption we have been GIVEN a Name - JESUS, there is no other name
We don't have to wonder HOW to pronounce the name of God because we have been given none other name than JESUS
Because of our sinfulness we had even forgotten who God was or couldn't even know
But we have been given a Name - who said "if you have seen me, you have seen the Father" i.e. if you KNOW me, you will know the Father. If you experience me, you will experience the Father
We wonder what God must be like BUT we have been given Jesus, there is no other name
No other Gift like the name of Jesus
Oh but let me say one more thing about the Life and Hope that is found in No other Name but Jesus
Peter said Salvation is Found in no other name
C. Salvation
What a wonderful word, such a word of HOPE but it doesn't just mean to be rescued or delivered
1. Peter knew his audience and speaking to these Leaders of Israel and he used the word SOTERIA (so-tay-ree-ah)
2. this word means deliverance from molestation of enemies but it also means Messianic Salvation - that which concludes to the souls safety
3. These men had spent their whole life praying for, looking for, longing for the Messiah to come and bring salvation
4. Peter was SAYING The Messiah you are looking for is JESUS - What you long for is found in NO OTHER NAME but JESUS
5. The hope that you profess that God will provide will be found in NO other name but Jesus
6. In the death of Christ, that you facilitated, Jesus became YOUR salvation
7. What are you looking for? There is No other name
8. What do you long to achieve? There is NO Other name
9. Looking for Hope? - There is no other name
10. Looking for Peace? There is no other name
11. Looking for Direction for the future? There is no other name
12. Seeking Success? There is No Other NAME
13. Looking for happiness? There is no other name
John 1:12 - to as many as received him, to those who believed on his name, he gave the right to become children of God -
There is NO other name
I ran across the words to an old hymn that go this way
I know a soul
that is steeped in sin
That no man's art can cure
But I know a Name,
a Name, a Name
That can make that soul all pure
I know a life that is
Lost to God
Bound down by the things of earth
But I know a Name
A Name, a Name
That can give that soul new Birth
I know of lands that are
Sunk in shame
Of hearts that faint and tire
But I know a Name
A Name, a Name
That can set those lands on fire
There's Just Something About that Name
Jesus, Jesus, Jesus
There's just something about that Name
Master, Savior, Jesus
Like the fragrance after the rain
Jesus, Jesus, Jesus
Let all heaven and earth proclaim
Kings and kingdoms may all pass away
But there's something about that name
There is NO Other Name
Almighty
Alpha and Omega
The Amen
Beloved Bridegroom
Bright and Morning Star
Captain of Salvation
Christ
Counselor
There is No Other Name
Deliverer
Dayspring
Daystar
Desire of nations
El-Shaddai
Emancipator of Sin's Slave
Eternal Life
Faithful and True
Foundation
Friend of Sinners
There is No Other Name
Glory of Isreal
God with Us
Giver of Life
Heir of All things
High Priest
Holy One
Image of God
I AM that I AM
Immanuel
There is No Other Name
Jehovah
Judge and
Justifier
King of Israel
King of Glory
King of kings
Lord of Lords
Lamb of Glory
Life and Light
Lion of the Tribe of Juday
Lord strong and Mighty
There is No Other Name
Master
Mediator
Mighty God
Nativity's child
Name above all names
Nature's Creator
Only Begotten of God
Only wise God
Omniscient
Omnipresent
Prince of Peace
great Physician
Power of God
Perfect in Purpose
There is No Other Name
Quest Completer
Quintessential Truth
Qualified for the Throne
Resurrection and life
Redemption
Rock of Salvation
Righteousness
Salvation
Savior,
Shepherd
Son of God
Son of Man
Sure foundation
Teacher
True vine
Truth
Trustworthy
Tried and True
There is No Other Name
Unspeakable Gift
Unabated
Unbelievable in Mercy and Grace
Victor
Valiant
Vessel of grace
Vindicator
The Way
Word of God
Wonderful
Which is, Which was, Which is to come
X-intercept where time meets Eternity
There is No Other Name
Yahweh
Your only hope for life and peace
Zion's Champion
Zealous for your Soul
Zenith of All History
There is No Other Name
There is No Other Name
There is No Other Name