Acts 4:5-12
A MAN NAMED JESUS
Intro: There were tense times for the people of Israel.
Rome was tightening her grip on the little nation,
insurrections and rebellions against Rome were growing
and a rag tag group of people were creating a stir in the
name of a man named Jesus. It seems that an
amazing thing is happening in the city of Jerusalem.
Thousands of people are turning from their Jewish
beliefs to embrace a man name Jesus Christ, Acts
2:41; Acts 4:4. Of course, this is upsetting to the
leaders of the Jewish people. After the second of these
events, two of the ringleaders Peter and John are
arrested, 4:3, and called to give account for their
actions and for the radical, new message they are
preaching.
To fully understand where we are in these verses,
we need to look back for just a moment. In chapter 3,
Peter and John were going up into the Temple to
worship at the time of the evening sacrifice, about 3
PM. As they were passing through the Beautiful Gate,
they met a crippled man who had been lain there so
that he might beg for pennies from the people who were
headed to the Temple to worship. Instead of giving this
man a few coins and passing right on by, Peter takes
him by the hand and heals him in the name of Jesus.
When the people, who knew this was the lame man,
see this man leaping and jumping and praising God,
they gather and inquire as to what is going on. Peter
seizes upon this opportunity to tell them about Jesus.
While he is preaching, the leaders of the people, the
Sanhedrin, come on the scene to see what the ruckus
is all about. When they hear Peter preaching about that
Jesus Whom they had crucified they are livid. When
they hear that Peter is claiming that this Jesus arose
from the dead, they are absolute furious and they arrest
the two preachers. But, the message had already been
delivered and 5,000 men were saved by the grace of
God that day!
After spending the night in jail, Peter and John are
brought before the council to explain their actions to the
council. We are told in 4:7 that this question is asked,
"By what power, or by what name, have ye done
this?" Friends, that was the wrong question to ask a
Spirit-filled preacher! That question opened the door for
Peter to preach a fresh message to these Jewish
leaders. It was a message all about a man named
Jesus. It is that message and that man that I have the
privilege of sharing this morning. So,. Let's listen in as
Peter preaches about the Lord. As he does, there are
some precious truths revealed about the Person of the
Lord Jesus that we need to hear today.
I. V. 10 WE ARE TOLD OF HIS PERSONALITY
(Ill. His personality is written in His Name! Without
even realizing it, every time His name is mentioned,
whether it be in cursing or in blessing, His glory if
revealed. Just the mention of His Name tells us
much about Him. This double Name for our Lord,
used 256 times in the New Testament, tells of His
dual nature and His glory.)
A. The Name Of His Humanity - Jesus - this
name means "Jehovah Is Savior". It is the
equivalent of the Old Testament name Joshua.
This is the name Jesus bore while He was here
on earth. It is the name that identifies Him with
humanity. It could be said that this is the name
of His humiliation. The name Jesus was a very
common name in those days. In fact, thousands
of Jewish men were named Jesus. This name
reminds us that He was a man. A man Who
knew His share of sorrow and rejection, Isa.
53:3; John 1:11. A man Who walked in poverty
and loneliness, Matt. 8:20. It was this name that
was chosen for Him by His Heavenly Father,
Matt. 1:21. This was the name worn by the Man
Who came into this world for one purpose: that
of going to the cross to die for our sins, John
18:37. You see, God cannot die, yet men die
every day. Therefore, God became a man that
He might die for men, so that men might be free
from the wrath of God. That is why the name
Jesus is so special. It reminds us that He was a
man and that He died for all men on that cross,
Rom. 5:8.
(Ill. The name of Jesus is a name that thrills the
souls of the believer. A name at which the devils
tremble. A name that gains man access to the
God of Glory. A name that moves mountains. A
name that convicts the sinner. A name that
opens the door to the blessings of God. A name
that is above every name. A name that causes
sinners to bow in repentance. Yes! There is
something about that Name!)
B. The Name Of His Honor - Christ - this name
means "Anointed One". This name identifies
Jesus as the Messiah. He is seen as the
fulfilment of all the promises of the Old
Testament. He is:
Genesis - The Seed of the Woman
Exodus - The Passover Lamb
Leviticus - The High Priest
Numbers - The Cloud by Day and Pillar of
Fire by Night
Deuteronomy - Prophet like unto Moses
Joshua - The Captain of the Lord's Host
Judges - Messenger of Jehovah
Ruth - The Kinsman Redeemer
1 Samuel - The Faithful Priest
2 Samuel - The Tower of Salvation
1 Kings - A Greater Than Solomon
2 Kings - The Reigning King
1 Chronicles - The Ark of the Covenant
2 Chronicles - The Blood on the Mercy Seat
Ezra - The Return from Captivity
Nehemiah - The Awesome God
Esther - Our Mordecai
Job - The Risen and Returning Redeemer
Psalms - King of Glory
Proverbs - The Friend that sticketh closer
than a Brother.
Ecclesiastes - The Giver of Life and Breath
Song Of Solomon - The Altogether Lovely
One
Isaiah - The Suffering Substitute
Jeremiah - The Lord our Righteousness
Lamentations - The People's Portion
Ezekiel - The River of Life
Daniel - The Ancient of Days
Hosea - The Former and Latter Rain
Joel - The Refuge for His People
Amos - The Rescuer of Israel
Obadiah - The Deliverer upon Mount Zion
Jonah - The Buried and Risen Savior
Micah - The God Who Pardons
Nahum - Our Stronghold in the Day of
Wrath
Habbakuk - The Anchor of our Faith
Zephaniah - In the Midst for Judgment and
Cleansing
Haggai - The Smitten Shepherd
Zechariah - The Branch
Malachi - The Son of Righteousness Risen
with Healing in His Wings.
In the New Testament His story continues:
Matthew - King of the Jews
Mark - The Servant of Jehovah
Luke - The Perfect Son of Man
John - The Son of God
Acts - The Ascended Lord
Romans - Our Righteousness
1 Corinthians - The Firstfruits of the
Resurrection
2 Corinthians - The Exalted Son of God
Galatians - The End of the Law and our
Redeemer
Ephesians - The Head of the Church
Phillipians - The name above every Name
Colossians - The Preeminent One
1 Thessalonians - Our Returning Lord
2 Thessalonians - The Returning Judge
1 Timothy - The Mediator
2 Timothy - The Bestower of Crowns
Titus - Our Great God and Savior
Philemon - The Father's Partner
Hebrews - The Mediator of the New Covenant
James - The Lord of Glory
1 Peter - Chief Cornerstone
2 Peter - The Bright and Morning Star
1 John - The Propitiation for our Sins
2 John - God's Son come in the Flesh
3 John - The Truth
Jude - The Believer's Security
Revelation - The King of Kings and the Lord
of Lords
(Ill. That's Who He is in the Bible record!. There is
none like Him anywhere. He is the Anointed One,
He is the honored One. He is the fulfillment of all
the promises, plans and types of God!
I. We Are Told Of His Personality
II. V. 10 WE ARE TOLD OF HIS PROVISION
A. He Provided A Payment - Peter reminds them
of the death of this name named Jesus Christ.
He reminds them that is was a death on a cross.
The most horrible of deaths known to men.
Jesus suffered this death so that He might pay
the sin debt of humanity. He did on that cross
because we are sinners and stand in need of a
Savior, Isa. 53:4-6; 2 Cor. 5:21.
(Ill. When Jesus completed His mission on the
cross, He was able to lift His voice and declare
that He had paid the price, John 19:30! He
suffered our penalty on the cross so that we
might go free by the grace of God, 2 Cor. 5:21.)
B. He Provided A Proof - Then, Peter declares the
part of the Gospel that bothered them the most.
He reminded them that this same Jesus, Whom
they had crucified, had been raised from the
dead by the power of God. This was a
documented fact and they could not deny the
resurrection, Matt. 28:1-6; Acts 1:9-11; 1 Cor.
15:6.
(Ill. Beyond that, the resurrection of Jesus from
the dead was proof positive that God the Father
had accepted His sacrifice as payment for the
sins of humanity, Acts 2:24; Psa. 16:10.)
C. He Provided A Promise - Peter doesn't mention
this in his sermon here, but the Apostle Paul
does in 1 Cor. 15:20. There, Jesus is called
"the firstfruits from the dead." This is a
reference to the Old Testament wave offering, in
which the first of the grain harvest was waved
before the Lord, Ex. 29. The firstfruits were a
picture of the fact that more was on the way. In
the same manner, when Jesus arose from the
dead, His resurrection was a statement that
more would follow. The fact of he matter is that
every person who follows Jesus in salvation will
one day follow Him out of the grave in
resurrection, 1 Thes. 4:13-18. Ill. There will be
what the old black preachers called "A great
gettin' up morning.")
(Ill. This is what the Lord Jesus has provided for all
men. He paid for our sins on the cross, offers us
salvation through His name and promises us
deliverance from death and destruction at the end of
the way. The great question is, "Are you trusting
Jesus for your soul's salvation?" Faith in Christ
is the only thing that will save the souls of men!)
I. We Are Told Of His Personality
II. We Are Told Of His Provision
III. V. 10 WE ARE TOLD OF HIS POWER
(Ill. As Peter continues His sermon, He tells the
Sanhedrin that the cripples man at the Beautiful
Gate was healed through the power of the name of
Jesus. This serves to remind us of the fact that
Jesus has the power to change lives! (Ill. How the
crippled man life's may have changed.) Jesus
Christ is in the life changing business, 2 Cor. 5:17.)
(Ill. The Gaderene Demoniac, Mark 5; The Leper,
Matt. 8:2; Bartimaeus - Matt. 10; The Thief on the
Cross; Luke 23; Lazarus - John 11; Paul - Acts 9;
Me - May 23, 1983; You - ?)
I. We Are Told Of His Personality
II. We Are Told Of His Provision
III. We Are Told Of His Power
IV. V. 11-12 WE ARE TOLD OF HIS PREEMINENCE
A. V. 11 He Is The Lofty Savior - Peter refers to
Psalm 118:22, a noted Messianic prophecy, and
applies it to Jesus. He is making the case that
Jesus is the Messiah. He is the promised One.
He is the One Whom God has exalted above all
others. His is a name above every name - Phil.
2:5-11. His is a glory greater than any other -
Col. 2:13-15. He is the preeminent One - Col.
1:18. He is worthy of our faith! He is worthy of
our honor. He is worthy of our praise. He alone
is worthy to be exalted! Therefore, let the
redeemed of the Lord say so and magnify His
Name!
(Ill. Friend, like Israel, you might turn your back
on the word of God concerning Who Jesus is,
but that will never change the fact that He is the
King of Kings and the Lord of Lords! It will never
change the fact that He is the Savior of all men
and then He deserves your faith, your trust and
your praise. He deserves nothing less than your
all!)
B. V. 12 He Is The Lone Savior - Peter finishes his
sermon by reminding these men that salvation
can only be found in the Lord Jesus Christ! He
and He alone is the source of salvation for all
men. Note the word "must". If you will escape
the fires of Hell and will enter into the glories of
Heave, you will do so through none other than
the Lord Jesus Christ! He alone can save the
soul of man, John 14:6.
Conc: What do you believe about this man named
Jesus? Is He the Savior of your soul? Are you trusting
His death and resurrection to get you into Heaven?
These men to whom Peter was preaching were
good men as far as their cleanliness of life was
concerned. Yet, everyone of them was as lost as man
could be. They needed to hear what Peter told them
that day and if you are lost, you need to hear it today.
Are you saved? Have you trusted Jesus? Will you
today?
The Bible tells us that this man who was healed had
been laid at this gate daily, 3:2. After he had been
healed the Bible tells us that all the people knew who
he was, 3:10. I gather from this that he had been
coming there for a long time. Now, Jesus had only
been gone for a couple of months at this time. Imagine
how many times Jesus must have passed this man by
and yet He hadn't healed him. Why didn't Jesus heal
this man? The answer may be that Jesus was waiting
for the precise time when God would get the most glory.
That happened the day God healed this man through
Simon Peter. His time had come!
I said all of that to tell you this. Salvation may have
passed you by many times before. But, today, the Lord
is dealing with your heart. Right now is your time! The
Lord is calling. He is willing to save you if you will
come. He wants to save you. If you need to be saved,
come to Jesus now and call on Him.
If you are saved, you might just want to praise His
for Who He is! If so this altar is open for your need right
now. Will you just mind Him as He speaks to your
heart?
