WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:08.720 So, let's turn back together to Acts chapter 3, if you're using a church Bible on page 1094. 00:00:09.859 --> 00:00:14.980 ! And we're going to think today about the powerful name of the risen Jesus. 00:00:15.900 --> 00:00:20.059 ! If I was to ask the question, what's in a name? 00:00:20.059 --> 00:00:29.440 Then probably anyone ever who studied in a UK high school would be able to think about where that phrase comes from. 00:00:30.000 --> 00:00:35.840 Remember Romeo and Juliet's balcony scene? We have the drama that's played out, two houses at war, 00:00:36.000 --> 00:00:41.939 Juliet's the Capulet, Romeo's the Montague, and we find Juliet in the balcony. What's in a name? 00:00:42.259 --> 00:00:49.140 That which we call a rose by any other would smell as sweet. We have them each professing their love, 00:00:49.140 --> 00:00:55.460 each would gladly give up their name for the sake of the other. This civil war is keeping them apart. 00:00:55.460 --> 00:01:02.480 But of course, the tragedy of Romeo and Juliet is that their names do have power. Their names are what 00:01:02.480 --> 00:01:11.719 makes them star-crossed lovers, and their story is doomed to disaster. Spoiler alert. Names have power. 00:01:13.340 --> 00:01:18.260 And Shakespeare shows it in the negative way. Maybe we know something of that. You know, 00:01:18.260 --> 00:01:24.320 what's in a name? There's a lot, I think, when we stop and think about it. A name, having the right 00:01:24.320 --> 00:01:32.760 name, can get us onto the guest list and get us into the party. Names can also be attached to us 00:01:32.760 --> 00:01:42.680 that wound and damage us. Cruel nicknames applied. We use names that speak about our belonging, 00:01:42.680 --> 00:01:52.820 our origins, our families. If we were to ask Peter, what's in a name? And particularly, 00:01:54.140 --> 00:02:03.420 significant about the name of Jesus, you say, well, in the name of Jesus, there is the power to heal 00:02:03.420 --> 00:02:11.259 and to save and to transform. And this is the crucial truth that we need to hear today, 00:02:11.620 --> 00:02:17.780 that faith in the name of Jesus, who Jesus is, His person, His character, His work, 00:02:17.920 --> 00:02:25.020 it lies at the center of this miracle that we read about in Acts 3, and it lies at the center of every 00:02:25.020 --> 00:02:28.719 miracle of salvation that has ever happened ever since. 00:02:28.719 --> 00:02:37.300 Since, as the Bible says to us, there is no other name given under heaven by which we can be saved, 00:02:38.979 --> 00:02:50.099 recognizing and responding to the powerful name of Jesus is massive for each one of us individually. 00:02:50.460 --> 00:02:54.979 So, our focus today is going to think about the impact of Jesus back then in the temple, 00:02:54.979 --> 00:03:00.259 in the life of the lame man and in the crowds. But we're going to think about what it means today, 00:03:00.379 --> 00:03:05.819 and especially we're going to think about it in regards to how do we talk about Jesus today? 00:03:06.579 --> 00:03:15.379 How do we share this powerful name with others? So, let's begin looking in the first 10 verses at 00:03:15.379 --> 00:03:22.699 the event. So, we see what happens in verse 1. The location is the temple. Here are Peter and John, 00:03:22.699 --> 00:03:28.879 two of Jesus' apostles, and they're going to worship as they had, but now they're going to worship in 00:03:28.879 --> 00:03:37.119 Jesus' name. Now they know Jesus is a Son of God. He is their Lord. And the power of Jesus is going to 00:03:37.119 --> 00:03:45.219 be seen in the temple on this day so that people on that day and ever since would know that worship is 00:03:45.219 --> 00:03:52.620 directed towards Him. But as they come towards the temple, they are immediately met with needs. 00:03:53.699 --> 00:04:01.340 There is a man who is lame from birth. He's being carried to the temple gate, and he is put there to 00:04:01.340 --> 00:04:11.360 beg day after day. He has no resources. He has no access to worship. He has a daily struggle to survive. 00:04:11.360 --> 00:04:21.680 And into this situation steps Peter. Now, remember, Peter has spent three years with Jesus, 00:04:22.439 --> 00:04:28.819 and Jesus was known for His compassion and His mercy. And what we see is that His followers become 00:04:28.819 --> 00:04:37.240 more and more like Him. Here is how we see it. He asks for money. Peter looks straight at Him, 00:04:37.240 --> 00:04:43.759 and Peter said, look at us. So the man gave his attention, expecting to get something from them. 00:04:44.740 --> 00:04:51.120 There's power in eye contact, isn't there? It's so easy to walk past those who seem kind of less than 00:04:51.120 --> 00:04:59.740 us, perhaps somebody like a beggar. To make eye contact is to say, I see you. You matter to me. 00:04:59.740 --> 00:05:09.560 And in so doing, Peter raises hope. Peter said, silver or gold I do not have, 00:05:10.800 --> 00:05:18.439 but what I do have I give you. In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, walk. So the man's need 00:05:18.439 --> 00:05:28.240 is met not by money, but by a name, the powerful name of Jesus. And what we see in this scene is that 00:05:28.240 --> 00:05:37.340 Peter has faith in Jesus' power to heal, to transform, and to save. And he is calling the man to place his 00:05:37.340 --> 00:05:48.639 faith in the powerful name of Jesus. And as he does, the miracle happens. Those joints, those muscles, 00:05:48.840 --> 00:05:58.040 those tendons that had been useless up until now and from birth, they find strength. His body is restored. 00:05:58.240 --> 00:06:06.120 And what does Luke highlight as the miracle takes place? Verse 8, the man jumped to his feet, began to 00:06:06.120 --> 00:06:11.840 walk. He went with him into the temple courts, walking and jumping and praising God. And I think Luke 00:06:11.840 --> 00:06:21.000 records that to remind us of Isaiah 35, that when redemption comes, when rescue and restoration comes, 00:06:21.000 --> 00:06:31.399 so too does joy, the lame leaping like a deer. And he is praising God for this physical healing, but also 00:06:31.399 --> 00:06:38.600 this spiritual restoration. Now he too is beginning to discover Jesus Christ as Lord. 00:06:40.079 --> 00:06:46.220 It's a very dramatic moment. And it emerges that there's fresh need that comes from it. 00:06:46.220 --> 00:06:52.320 Look at verse 9. People see it, obviously. They see him walking and praising God. They recognize 00:06:52.320 --> 00:06:59.740 them as the same man. And they were filled with wonder and amazement. So the need now becomes, 00:07:01.380 --> 00:07:07.520 Peter must give an explanation. He doesn't want to leave them with just a vague sense of wonder. 00:07:08.220 --> 00:07:11.840 Isn't this an amazing but surprising thing that's happened to the beggar? 00:07:11.839 --> 00:07:18.479 Peter. Peter wants everyone to know it's the power and authority of Jesus that has done this. 00:07:19.379 --> 00:07:25.579 A remarkable moment for the man, a remarkable moment for the crowd, and a wonderful situation 00:07:25.579 --> 00:07:32.439 for us to reflect on. Because it is a reminder, an act is so full of this, that the life-giving 00:07:32.439 --> 00:07:41.699 spirit of Jesus is still working. The weak are made strong in Jesus' name. 00:07:41.839 --> 00:07:53.099 Maybe some of us have come here today feeling weak, maybe weak in our faith, maybe weak in our 00:07:53.099 --> 00:08:02.939 abilities. And what was true for the man is true for us. We need to learn to look to the Lord 00:08:02.939 --> 00:08:10.779 for our strength. There's a verse that Peter gives us in his second letter, reminding us that God has 00:08:10.779 --> 00:08:19.479 given us everything that we need for life and godliness. As the people of God, when we feel weak, 00:08:20.639 --> 00:08:28.159 God loves to supply strength and grace. There's something about this story as well that reminds us 00:08:28.160 --> 00:08:39.180 that personal testimony to the transforming power of Jesus. It creates interest. It is powerful. 00:08:40.180 --> 00:08:44.019 No one on that day could possibly deny the change that Jesus has brought. 00:08:44.019 --> 00:08:53.519 Maybe for many of us, we have friends, colleagues, family members, and maybe they're quite apathetic 00:08:53.519 --> 00:09:01.519 about the idea of truth. Maybe even hostile to the idea of absolute truth. But one thing that people 00:09:01.519 --> 00:09:08.000 can't deny, and one thing that people remain instinctively interested in, are personal stories. 00:09:08.000 --> 00:09:16.580 And the great thing, when we've been saved by God's grace, we have a story, an ongoing story, 00:09:16.580 --> 00:09:24.919 of God's work in our lives. I was reminded of the remarkable life of John G. Payton, a very dramatic 00:09:24.919 --> 00:09:32.559 story. He was a missionary in the 1800s to New Caledonia, a place where cannibals were still living, 00:09:32.559 --> 00:09:41.000 and he lost children to fever. He lost his wife to disease. And part of his testimony was this, 00:09:41.099 --> 00:09:47.139 were it not for Jesus and his fellowship, I would have gone mad and died. 00:09:49.000 --> 00:09:52.759 And it was a great testimony of a man who clung to the promise of Jesus, 00:09:52.759 --> 00:09:58.319 I am with you always, even to the end of the age. 00:09:58.320 --> 00:10:07.220 Now, our stories won't have that drama and power, but our story and our life can still 00:10:07.220 --> 00:10:17.240 make a difference. Just in the last couple of months, I heard the story of a student down in 00:10:17.240 --> 00:10:25.540 England who found faith in Jesus after watching a story on Instagram. And having watched the short 00:10:25.539 --> 00:10:33.919 story, she said, I want what they have and I don't. And what they had was Christian joy. And it led her 00:10:33.919 --> 00:10:45.419 to seek out Christians in her city and then to discover Jesus in His Word. Our stories, when they 00:10:45.419 --> 00:10:53.799 give glory to Jesus and when they're accompanied by prayer, can create a sense of wonder and longing. 00:10:53.799 --> 00:10:59.259 And maybe you've had that experience. You're telling someone, I wish I had your hope or your peace or your 00:10:59.259 --> 00:11:12.799 joy. Our story is also a wonderful little picture of what Jesus does in the gospel. Here is a man who 00:11:12.799 --> 00:11:20.259 is by nature lame. He is paralyzed. He is unable to move. And that reflects what the Bible teaches about 00:11:20.259 --> 00:11:28.539 all of us. And that is, by nature, we are unable to walk before God in the obedience that He looks for. 00:11:29.500 --> 00:11:36.460 And because of that, we are unable to walk with God in the relationship that we are made for 00:11:36.460 --> 00:11:42.019 because of our sin. And we cannot do anything about that ourselves. 00:11:42.019 --> 00:11:52.139 But God sent Jesus, His own Son, into our world to deal with that sin. He came to live a life of 00:11:52.139 --> 00:11:59.379 perfect obedience. He laid down His life as a perfect sacrifice. And by faith in His name, 00:12:00.720 --> 00:12:11.019 trusting in Jesus for salvation, you and I, we can be saved. And we can have the joy of this lame man 00:12:11.019 --> 00:12:23.480 walking and leaping and praising God. So, we've had the event. Secondly, let's think about, with Peter, 00:12:23.600 --> 00:12:32.100 the explanation of the event. So, it becomes clear, as Luke recounts the story, that this man is creating 00:12:32.100 --> 00:12:38.320 a scene. There is growing interest. Look at verse 11. 00:12:39.019 --> 00:12:44.980 While the man held on to Peter and John, all the people were astonished and came running to them in the 00:12:44.980 --> 00:12:50.540 place called Solomon's Colony. Grown men generally didn't run. The lame man's been running about, and now 00:12:50.540 --> 00:12:58.180 everybody's running and rushing to see what's going on. That fear of missing out isn't a modern thing. 00:12:58.179 --> 00:13:07.219 And as this crowd gathers, Peter wants to take the opportunity to effectively say to them, 00:13:07.959 --> 00:13:15.299 the Jesus you rejected, that Jesus was raised by God. He is the source of salvation. He's the cause of 00:13:15.299 --> 00:13:20.779 what's happened to the man. It's one of the remarkable things about Peter. You know, he was so timid. 00:13:20.779 --> 00:13:27.179 He kind of denied even knowing Jesus before the cross. But once he'd met the risen Lord Jesus, 00:13:28.459 --> 00:13:33.459 once he'd been given the Spirit to live in his heart, he can't, and he won't stop talking about 00:13:33.459 --> 00:13:41.019 Jesus. He has this new understanding of how the death of Jesus gloriously fits into God's plan of 00:13:41.019 --> 00:13:49.339 salvation. He died for me. And as he reads his Bible, now he sees Jesus everywhere in the Old Testament. 00:13:49.340 --> 00:13:57.800 And so in the next few verses, Peter wants to shine a light on the event. He doesn't want to leave 00:13:57.800 --> 00:14:04.220 anyone in the dark as to cause and effect. He wants to shine the light, and really to shine his spotlight 00:14:04.220 --> 00:14:14.740 on the glory of Jesus. You think about those theater spotlights. He wants to floodlight the glory of 00:14:14.740 --> 00:14:20.700 Jesus. And so he very clearly says to them, why does this surprise you? Why do you stare at us? 00:14:21.500 --> 00:14:27.779 It's not on us, never about us. Rather, the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob has glorified his servant 00:14:27.779 --> 00:14:33.480 Jesus. So he's going to shine a spotlight on Jesus, but he's also going to do something else as well. 00:14:34.440 --> 00:14:43.720 He's going to shine a searchlight on the hearts of people, exposing the guilt of those who rejected 00:14:43.720 --> 00:14:49.120 Jesus. But let's see how he shines the spotlight on Jesus. So we see in verse 13, 00:14:49.940 --> 00:14:58.680 the God of Abraham has glorified his servant Jesus. How did he glorify his servant Jesus? 00:14:59.399 --> 00:15:07.019 Verse 15, you killed the author of life, but God raised him from the dead. 00:15:07.019 --> 00:15:16.179 In the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, God the Father glorifies his Son. And the Father wants the 00:15:16.179 --> 00:15:25.159 world to know, to use the language of verse 14, that Jesus truly is the holy and righteous one. 00:15:26.939 --> 00:15:34.000 Jesus never sinned. And because Jesus never sinned, death had no claim on him. The wages of sin 00:15:34.000 --> 00:15:43.779 is death. That Jesus is none other than the holy and righteous Son of God. And so when Jesus dies in 00:15:43.779 --> 00:15:49.779 our place for our sin, not for his own, when God raises him from the dead, God is delivering his 00:15:49.779 --> 00:15:58.620 verdict on Jesus, I am pleased with my Son. He has completed my plan of salvation in a holy and a 00:15:58.620 --> 00:16:12.259 righteous way. We discover another title of Jesus, verse 15, you killed the author of life. It's a 00:16:12.259 --> 00:16:18.259 really interesting phrase. You know, the Bible tells us that Jesus was there at the beginning, 00:16:18.379 --> 00:16:22.759 that he was God's agent of creation, that he is the life giver. But here it means something 00:16:22.759 --> 00:16:30.620 particular. It means that Jesus is the trailblazer, the pioneer. Paul puts, you know, the idea that 00:16:30.620 --> 00:16:40.200 Jesus is the first of the resurrected people. We go to mountains for a moment. He's the lead climber 00:16:40.200 --> 00:16:46.679 who goes up and puts all the holds in place, secures the ropes so that everyone can follow in his way. 00:16:46.679 --> 00:16:56.639 Jesus is the first to enjoy resurrection life. Jesus is glorified by the Father, making it clear to us 00:16:56.639 --> 00:17:05.960 that the only way for you and I to enjoy resurrection life is to trust in him. And when we do, there is 00:17:05.960 --> 00:17:16.339 certainty that we enjoy life with God right now and life with him forever. He glorifies Jesus. Look at verse 00:17:16.339 --> 00:17:24.839 16, by faith in the name of Jesus. This man whom you see and know is made strong. It is Jesus' name 00:17:24.839 --> 00:17:35.059 and the faith that comes through him that has completely healed him. This lame man placed his faith in Jesus 00:17:35.059 --> 00:17:44.959 as the answer to his helpless condition, to be strength for his weakness. The key to this moment is faith in 00:17:44.960 --> 00:17:51.700 Jesus' name. Trusting everything that God says about Jesus, trusting all that the Bible teaches about 00:17:51.700 --> 00:17:57.279 Jesus as the Son of God, as the Savior, the one who lived and died and rose again. Trusting in his 00:17:57.279 --> 00:18:04.360 perfect character, his promises, his work. Coming to see who Jesus is, placing our hope in him. That's the key 00:18:04.359 --> 00:18:17.699 to salvation. And notice too, as Peter wants to shine a spotlight on Jesus' glory. Faith comes through Jesus. 00:18:20.399 --> 00:18:26.599 It is Jesus who gives the gift of faith. It is Jesus who makes a person willing to believe. 00:18:26.939 --> 00:18:32.419 It is Jesus who can break through the hardest hearts, who can make the most unwilling willing. 00:18:32.420 --> 00:18:41.019 It is Jesus who can rescue physically and spiritually lame people, causing them to walk with joy with God. 00:18:41.600 --> 00:18:47.660 And so Peter shines the spotlight to say, Jesus is glorious. Jesus is good. You need to trust him to 00:18:47.660 --> 00:18:57.920 be saved and to enjoy true life with our God and our Creator. But at the same time, there is a different 00:18:57.920 --> 00:19:06.620 light that's shining. As he begins to preach to the crowd, he shines a searchlight on the human heart. 00:19:07.100 --> 00:19:11.940 It's a very different kind of light. Picture, you know, a police helicopter on a manhunt for criminals. When that 00:19:11.940 --> 00:19:21.460 spotlight, when that searchlight shines, that's designed to expose and to catch the criminal. 00:19:21.460 --> 00:19:29.100 And so as much as a light has been shining on the glory of Jesus, now Peter turns his attention 00:19:29.100 --> 00:19:36.579 to the crowds to expose their guilt. Listen to how he does it. Verse 13, 00:19:37.140 --> 00:19:45.579 you handed him over to be killed. You disowned him before Pilate. We have no king but Caesar. 00:19:45.579 --> 00:19:52.500 You disowned the holy and righteous one and asked that a murderer be released to you. We don't want 00:19:52.500 --> 00:20:04.460 Jesus. We want Barabbas to be released. You killed the author of life. This catalog of crime is placed 00:20:04.460 --> 00:20:15.220 before them so that they have nowhere to run. Peter, as he's led by the Spirit, he uses that spotlight to 00:20:15.220 --> 00:20:24.079 lay bare human guilt and shame. God has kept his promise. God has been good. God has sent his own son to 00:20:24.079 --> 00:20:36.100 save, and they rejected him. God has been so kind as to send a good king to enter into the chaos of society, 00:20:36.100 --> 00:20:44.120 to invite us to live under his good and loving rule. And people said, no, thank you. We don't want him. 00:20:45.220 --> 00:20:53.920 Jesus came, the bridegroom in love, coming for his bride. And he was shunned. 00:20:55.779 --> 00:21:03.220 And so Peter turns to the crowd. That Jesus you treated as a nobody, 00:21:05.220 --> 00:21:12.400 the one you gave no attention to except to cry, crucify him, the one you celebrate because you think 00:21:12.400 --> 00:21:22.840 he's now out of your life. God has glorified him. God sent him so you would be saved. 00:21:25.500 --> 00:21:27.100 And yet you wanted none of him. 00:21:30.519 --> 00:21:35.420 When our verdict on Jesus disagrees with God's verdict, 00:21:35.420 --> 00:21:44.900 I think we understand that we have a big problem. We know that principle in small ways. If my answer 00:21:44.900 --> 00:21:52.180 disagrees with my teacher's answer, I know I'm going to be regarded as being wrong. If my actions disagree 00:21:52.180 --> 00:21:59.460 with the laws of my country, then I will rightly be prosecuted. And if my verdict on Jesus disagrees with 00:21:59.460 --> 00:22:08.960 the God who created me, the Bible says, and I stand condemned. And that provokes the urgent need to 00:22:08.960 --> 00:22:16.380 reassess. Maybe you're here today and you need to reassess your view on Jesus, 00:22:17.059 --> 00:22:22.019 to consider Christ Jesus and his claims. Think about what's at stake. 00:22:22.019 --> 00:22:31.180 But we need to recognize too, a lesson for ourselves about how we share the gospel. 00:22:31.740 --> 00:22:38.259 That we share the gospel to shine the spotlight on Jesus as good news. That's the goal when we 00:22:38.259 --> 00:22:42.759 share our faith. Isn't so that people would come away and think, wow, what great faith that person 00:22:42.759 --> 00:22:50.200 has. I wish, I wish I could be like that person and have that kind of faith. We want people to go 00:22:50.200 --> 00:22:57.000 away thinking, what an amazing God and Savior they have. And to be invited to know that God and Savior 00:22:57.000 --> 00:23:04.840 for themselves. Again, Peter, in his first letter, invites Christians always to be ready 00:23:04.840 --> 00:23:12.640 to give a reason for the hope that we have, to do that gently and showing full respect to other people. 00:23:12.640 --> 00:23:20.660 But if someone asks us, how is it that you can face that diagnosis without falling apart? 00:23:22.100 --> 00:23:30.520 How is it that you go through those hardships without bitterness and you seem to have a real solid joy? 00:23:33.460 --> 00:23:36.780 Those are the moments when we pray and we want to give people Jesus. 00:23:38.600 --> 00:23:42.220 He's the answer. If it was left to me, it'd fall apart. 00:23:42.220 --> 00:23:48.600 But he is for me, he's with me, he loved me, he gave himself for me, and he's promised never to leave me. 00:23:50.600 --> 00:23:57.640 So we've seen the event, and we've heard the explanation. But there's one other really important 00:23:57.640 --> 00:24:02.980 message that Peter wants to deliver to the crowd and to us, and it's the encouragement, 00:24:03.900 --> 00:24:10.759 the encouragement to believe. So think about what happens, and some of us we've had this experience, 00:24:10.759 --> 00:24:19.579 when everything you thought that was true about a person turns out to be a lie. Perhaps you have 00:24:19.579 --> 00:24:26.619 been caught out in one of the many sort of email scams. Somebody claims to be a friend or, you know, 00:24:26.640 --> 00:24:31.539 a distant relation. They're in desperate need, and they say that you need to give them some. And it 00:24:31.539 --> 00:24:36.440 turns out it was a hoax. It was some scammer. Perhaps you've had your identity stolen, and you 00:24:36.440 --> 00:24:43.960 understand the stress and the distress that's caused when somebody else is claiming your name and 00:24:43.960 --> 00:24:51.240 identity and does all kinds of things. Maybe you've had a situation the other way. Maybe you've jumped to 00:24:51.240 --> 00:24:57.500 a conclusion about someone, or you've accused them of wrong, wronging you in some way, or you've thought 00:24:57.500 --> 00:25:03.779 the worst of them, but it turns out they defended you and supported you. Well, that provokes a crisis of 00:25:03.779 --> 00:25:13.059 its own. But it's into this kind of identity crisis that Peter now turns back to the crowds, and he 00:25:13.059 --> 00:25:24.099 changes his tone. You have been wrong about Jesus, profoundly wrong. Your verdict up until this point 00:25:24.099 --> 00:25:36.519 has not matched God's, but there is hope. There is an invitation to find God's mercy. Verse 17, now, fellow 00:25:36.519 --> 00:25:48.240 Israelites, I know that you acted in ignorance. The greatest crisis in our life is being wrong about the name of Jesus, 00:25:48.240 --> 00:25:50.240 being wrong about the name of Jesus. Being wrong about the name of Jesus. 00:25:50.240 --> 00:25:57.519 Being wrong about his identity and his work. But the wonderful reminder from this text is that even 00:25:57.519 --> 00:26:02.880 up until this very minute we've been wrong about Jesus, that does not need to be the end of our story, 00:26:02.880 --> 00:26:06.720 because the same Jesus comes to offer us mercy. 00:26:06.720 --> 00:26:18.579 Look how Peter urges response in verse 19, you have done all those things. You've killed the author of 00:26:18.579 --> 00:26:25.900 life, you acted in ignorance. Repent then and turn to God. They have done the very worst in crying, 00:26:25.900 --> 00:26:31.759 crucify the Lord Jesus, but still there is this wonderful invitation to turn from sin, 00:26:31.759 --> 00:26:38.559 the sin of rejecting and ignoring Jesus, to turn to God, to faith in Jesus, and to have eternal life. 00:26:39.480 --> 00:26:49.039 So why should we? Why should we heed Peter's encouragement to turn from sin and turn to God? 00:26:50.500 --> 00:26:56.940 Well, one reason is because of who Jesus is. So as we said earlier, Peter loves to read his Bible and 00:26:56.940 --> 00:27:04.440 to find Jesus as the hero of the story, to find Jesus on every page. There's a few examples of it here. 00:27:04.440 --> 00:27:13.059 Verse 18, in the killing of Jesus and then his resurrection, this is how God fulfilled what he had 00:27:13.059 --> 00:27:21.240 foretold through all the prophets, saying that his Messiah would suffer. Who is Jesus? He is the Messiah, 00:27:21.240 --> 00:27:28.220 the appointed king, who suffers to save his people. The promise of the Old Testament fulfilled at the 00:27:28.220 --> 00:27:36.880 cross. Isaiah 53, 5. He was pierced for our transgressions. He was punished for our iniquities. 00:27:36.980 --> 00:27:45.940 The punishment that brought us peace was on him, and by his wounds we are healed. God had eternally 00:27:45.940 --> 00:27:54.180 planned for his son to die in order that we might live. He is the Messiah who must suffer. Verse 22 and 23, 00:27:54.420 --> 00:28:03.080 he is the true prophet who brings us home to God. He introduces Jesus as greater than Moses. 00:28:04.640 --> 00:28:09.660 Moses said, the Lord your God will raise up for you a prophet like me. You must listen to everything he 00:28:09.660 --> 00:28:15.799 tells you. Remember Moses, sent by God to set people free from slavery, to lead them to 00:28:15.799 --> 00:28:21.440 know God at Mount Sinai, to be brought towards the promised land. Jesus does that for us. 00:28:23.240 --> 00:28:29.279 Deals with our slavery to sin, brings us into living relationship with God, gives us the promise of 00:28:29.279 --> 00:28:35.399 eternal life. Jesus has come as the mediator to bridge the gap between a holy God and sinful people. 00:28:36.680 --> 00:28:45.700 And he is also, verse 25, the source of blessing from God for all nations. You are heirs of the 00:28:45.700 --> 00:28:50.960 prophets and of the covenant God made with your fathers. He said to Abraham, through your offspring, 00:28:51.120 --> 00:28:56.680 all people on earth will be blessed. Way back at the beginning of the Bible, a promised child who 00:28:56.680 --> 00:29:04.340 would come, who would bring ultimate blessing, peace with God, life with God. And he can say on that day, 00:29:04.340 --> 00:29:06.559 that promised child is Jesus. 00:29:06.559 --> 00:29:16.480 So we're encouraged to turn from sin to trust in Jesus because of who Jesus is, but also because of 00:29:16.480 --> 00:29:27.379 what Jesus brings. Look at verse 19. Repent then and turn to God, firstly so that your sins may be wiped 00:29:27.380 --> 00:29:39.300 out. In Jesus, there is the promise of total forgiveness. The hard drive containing all of your wrong thoughts 00:29:39.300 --> 00:29:52.260 and words and actions and attitudes. That permanent record there before God, Jesus would wipe that memory 00:29:52.259 --> 00:30:00.859 clean. There at the cross. By trusting in Jesus, we can therefore stand before God without fear and without 00:30:00.859 --> 00:30:11.839 shame. But there is also the promise of spiritual refreshing. Still in verse 19, repent and turn to God 00:30:11.839 --> 00:30:18.740 that times of refreshing may come from the Lord. Imagine the most refreshing cold drink you've ever had 00:30:18.740 --> 00:30:26.660 from a can of Coke. From a can of Coke or from a mountain stream. Multiply it infinite times. 00:30:27.980 --> 00:30:33.440 And that's the refreshment that God through Jesus would bring to our lives, to our souls, 00:30:33.579 --> 00:30:40.940 as the Spirit is poured out within us, as God comes to be present, as Jesus is always working for us. 00:30:40.940 --> 00:30:49.880 And He's still not done. Because He also wants them to know that trusting in Jesus brings the promise of 00:30:49.880 --> 00:30:55.980 future restoration. Verse 20, that He may send the Messiah who's been appointed for you, even Jesus. 00:30:56.519 --> 00:31:03.000 Heaven must receive Him until the time comes for God to restore everything. So we saw that beginning of 00:31:03.000 --> 00:31:07.600 Acts 1. Jesus is received back into heaven, but there's the promise that He'll come back again, 00:31:07.599 --> 00:31:14.599 judge and king. And when He comes back again, God's going to restore all things. The world that we all 00:31:14.599 --> 00:31:24.419 want, a world free of suffering and injustice, a world free of death. That's the world that we'll be. 00:31:26.000 --> 00:31:32.419 And the way to enjoy that life with perfect relationships for all eternity, time without end, 00:31:32.420 --> 00:31:37.360 with Jesus at the center, is to place our faith in Him. 00:31:41.060 --> 00:31:46.920 Here's why we should trust in Jesus. He is the only one who can deal with our guilty conscience. 00:31:48.720 --> 00:31:55.620 He is the only one who can give us rest beyond anxiety and exhaustion. He is the one who can answer 00:31:55.619 --> 00:32:04.059 the lack of real hope in the world as we put our faith in Him as Lord and Savior. 00:32:05.879 --> 00:32:12.219 So when we circle back to our original question, what's in a name? Peter would say, when it comes 00:32:12.219 --> 00:32:22.059 to the name of Jesus, it's everything. It's life and death. And so we share the gospel to call for 00:32:22.059 --> 00:32:31.859 response. Picture a person drowning at sea, and the lifeboat pulls up, and the lifeline is sent out. 00:32:32.159 --> 00:32:36.919 The person in the sea still has a need to reach out their hands and to get in the boat. 00:32:38.519 --> 00:32:46.480 For us, spiritually lost at sea, Jesus has come, and He calls us today to repent and to believe. 00:32:46.480 --> 00:32:58.240 To trust in Him changes our eternal destiny. Look at verse 23, anyone who does not listen to Him 00:32:58.240 --> 00:33:05.319 will be completely cut off from their people. It's an idea of curse. It's being separate from God and 00:33:05.319 --> 00:33:15.960 His goodness. But if we trust in Jesus, verse 25, we'll be blessed. 00:33:16.480 --> 00:33:28.539 We'll enjoy peace and life with God. Today, we call on the name of the Lord Jesus to be saved. 00:33:29.920 --> 00:33:35.839 And if we've done that already, will we take up our mission to tell people of the glorious, 00:33:35.839 --> 00:33:38.079 the mighty name of the Lord?