Only in the name of Jesus [Act 3]

Only in the Name of Jesus

Acts 3:1-26

Key verse 3:6

When we pray, we end with Jesus’ name. Do you know why? Do you know how powerful it is to pray in the name of Jesus? Today, we will learn about Jesus’ name. In today’s passage, Peter heals a man who is lame and makes a speech to his fellow Jews in the temple. This passage has similarities with the last passage but with a different setting and a different emphasis. This passage emphasizes the life of the risen Jesus and its power. I pray that we all can receive and enjoy the life in Jesus Christ.

I. Walk in the name of Jesus

Look at verse 1. One day Peter and John were going up to the temple to pray. It was three o’clock in the afternoon. Pious Jews prayed three times a day – in the morning, in the afternoon, and after the sunset. While Peter and John were entering the temple, one man caught their attention. Who was he?

² Now a man who was lame from birth was being carried to the temple gate called Beautiful, where he was put every day to beg from those going into the temple courts. 

He was lame from birth and could not move by himself. There was nothing he could do for a living other than begging for money. So every day he was put at the temple gate to beg from those going into the temple courts. Since he was 40 years old (4:22), he might have been there for many years, probably more than 20 years, so probably almost everybody in Jerusalem knew him. Every day many people passed by the lame man and some of them threw some money at him. With that money, the lame barely survived each day. His life was boring, dull, inanimate and meaningless and there seemed to be no hope in his life.

Then, one day while he was begging at the temple gate, Peter and John noticed him and approached him. As usual, the man asked them for money, “Please have mercy on me.” How did Peter and John respond to him? Filled with the Holy Spirit, they intently looked at him. Peter said, “Look at us!” The lame man thought that they would give him money and he gave them his attention. But Peter did not give him money but something else – something greater than money. What was that?

⁶ Then Peter said, “Silver or gold I do not have, but what I do have I give you. In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, walk.” 

Peter did not have money to give but he had the name of Jesus Christ. What the lame man needed the most was not sympathy or money, but walking. Peter challenged the lame man and his lameness in the name of Jesus. “In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, walk.” That meant that Peter represented Jesus and was commanding him to walk by the authority and power of Jesus Christ. It was actually the command of Jesus Christ so the man could and must walk. And then Peter took the man by the right hand and helped him up. What happened to the man?

⁷ Taking him by the right hand, he helped him up, and instantly the man’s feet and ankles became strong. ⁸ He jumped to his feet and began to walk. Then he went with them into the temple courts, walking and jumping, and praising God. 

Instantly, the man’s feet and ankles became strong. He felt his leg muscles jerk and move. He could stretch his legs by himself and got up. Then he stood and walked. He could even jump to his feet. He could not believe what was happening to his legs. For the first time in his life, he could walk. He was so excited and thankful that he followed Peter and John into the temple courts. Probably this was his first time entering the temple courts. In the temple courts he continued to walk around and jump, praising God in a loud voice. “Praise the Lord, he has healed my legs. See I can walk. I can walk!”

⁹ When all the people saw him walking and praising God, ¹⁰ they recognized him as the same man who used to sit begging at the temple gate called Beautiful, and they were filled with wonder and amazement at what had happened to him.

Seeing this man walking and praising God, the people in the temple courts immediately recognized him. “I know this man. He was lame. How can he walk now?” They were astonished and amazed by this. The man’s healing came as a big surprise to them because it was a miracle and also a sign of the Messianic work according to Isa 35:6. They felt that God was working in him and among them. With great expectation and surprise, they came running to Peter and John in the place called Solomon’s Colonnade.

II. By faith in the name of Jesus

Suddenly Peter and John were surrounded by a crowed (more than 2,000).  They paid attention to Peter and John because they thought they healed the lame man. Peter first said that their power or godliness did not heal the man and then took this as an opportunity to testify about Jesus.

¹³ The God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, the God of our fathers, has glorified his servant Jesus. You handed him over to be killed, and you disowned him before Pilate, though he had decided to let him go. ¹⁴ You disowned the Holy and Righteous One and asked that a murderer be released to you. ¹⁵ You killed the author of life, but God raised him from the dead. We are witnesses of this.

Here Peter said that God glorified Jesus. How? He introduced Jesus as God’s servant, the Holy and Righteous One and the author of life. Here God’s servant and the Holy and Righteous One refer to the Messiah and the author of life refers to the Creator. Jesus is the Creator and came as the Messiah to his people, but sadly they disowned him and killed him. This was a horrible tragedy. Yet, Jesus did not end up in death. God raised Jesus from the dead. Through his resurrection, Jesus can bestow life to his people.

In John chapter 5, Jesus came to a man who had been an invalid for 38 years. He always lied down near the Sheep Gate a pool, which was called Bethesda. He had no chance to be healed. He was as good as dead. But when Jesus said to him, “Get up! Pick up your mat and walk”, he was immediately cured and he walked. And then, Jesus said in 5:21, “For just as the Father raises the dead and gives them life, even so the Son gives life to whom he is pleased to give it.” His healing of the invalid demonstrated that he is the author of life and he eventually would raise the dead and give them life. He also said in 5:25-26,

²⁵ Very truly I tell you, a time is coming and has now come when the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God and those who hear will live.²⁶ For as the Father has life in himself, so he has granted the Son also to have life in himself. 

Therefore, the healing of the invalid was the precursor to Jesus’ resurrection and the resurrection of all. In other words, the healing was the demonstration of Jesus’ life and his resurrection power. Likewise, Peter’s healing of the lame man was the display of the power of the risen Jesus and the life in him. The risen Jesus has power to revive the dead and bring them back to life.

Now the risen Jesus was not here but in heaven. But he has given us his name instead. When he was about to leave this world, he gave his disciples his name.

John 14:13-14 “¹³ And I will do whatever you ask in my name, so that the Father may be glorified in the Son. ¹⁴ You may ask me for anything in my name, and I will do it.”

So, in the name of Jesus Peter commanded the lame man to walk and the power of the risen Jesus cured the lame man and gave him a new life. So, what was Peter’s conclusion of the healing of the lame man?

¹⁶ By faith in the name of Jesus, this man whom you see and know was made strong. It is Jesus’ name and the faith that comes through him that has completely healed him, as you can all see.

By saying this, Peter imputed the healing of the man to the power of the risen Jesus. They killed Jesus, but the Jesus they killed rose from the dead and gave life to this lame man. Only Jesus can give us life because he has risen from the dead and he is the author of life.

Nick Vujicic was born in Australia with no arms and no legs. But he can do more than ordinary people do. He can swim, surf, and skydive. He is an evangelist, a preacher, a motivational speaker, and the director of Life Without Limbs. Despite his adversity, he has lived an extraordinary life. How has he done this? This is his testimony: “At age eight, I could not see a bright future ahead and I became depressed. When I was ten years old, I decided to end my life by drowning myself in a bathtub. After a couple of attempts, I realized that I did not want to leave my loved ones with the burden and guilt that would result from my suicide. …When I was fifteen years old, I sealed my faith in God and from there it has been an amazing journey. I gave my life to Jesus Christ when I read John 9 at age 15, where a man was coming through a village, this blind man from birth. Jesus saw him. People said, ‘Why was this man born that way?’ Jesus said, ‘It was done so that the works of God may be revealed through him… I thank God that He didn’t answer my prayer when I was begging him for arms and legs at age eight. Because guess what? I have no arms and no legs, and He’s using me all around the world. We’ve seen, so far, approximately 200,000 souls come to Jesus Christ… Hope is in the name of God, the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.”

The name of Jesus has given him a new life, which is much better than arms and legs. As you can see, Jesus’ name gives comfort, healing, hope, strength, power, energy, and life. Who can give us all these? Jesus! Only the risen Jesus can do this and he is willing to give all to you as well.

We are privileged to call Jesus’ name. When you get down, call Jesus’ name. When you are discouraged, call his name. When you are sick, call his name. When we are troubled, call on his name in a loud voice. When you are helpless and hopeless, declare Jesus’ name to yourselves! Then, you can feel and see the power of his name.

We should also proclaim Jesus’ name for others as well. There are so many people out there who are suffering from sickness, drugs, alcohol, smoking, eating disorders, personality disorders, sexual desire, demons, and all kinds of sins.

We can help others with money. But without Jesus’ life, no one can truly be healed, changed, and saved. Many Christian organizations have supported Indian Christians with money and materials. However, the Indian-Christian-focused-ministry has not grown well. However, the Hindu-focused ministry I know has grown so fast. The missionaries in the ministry did not have money to give to them. But they instead gave Hindus Jesus’ name through Bible study. One day, while they were having a gathering, Jesus’ name was declared. Then, many Hindu college students experienced the power of God and they were freed from all kinds of demons. (There are so many demon-possessed people in the country.) In Jesus’ name, they were changed and have preached the gospel to other Hindus, risking their lives.

Therefore, we must first proclaim the name of Jesus rather than anything else. God has given us the name of Jesus Christ, who has risen from the dead! I can’t. You can’t. But Jesus can! Let’s call on his name.

III. Repent and turn to God

Look at verse 17. Now Peter touched their sins. They disowned and killed Jesus in ignorance. They did not know that the Messiah must suffer and die for their sins. But through their deed God fulfilled his prophecy concerning the suffering of the Messiah. However, this did not do away with their sins. They killed Jesus in ignorance but not in innocence. What did they need to do?

¹⁹ Repent, then, and turn to God, so that your sins may be wiped out, that times of refreshing may come from the Lord, ²⁰ and that he may send the Messiah, who has been appointed for you—even Jesus.

They should repent and come back to God. If so, they would be blessed:

·         Their sins would be wiped out.

·         Times of refreshing may come from the Lord, which implies relief from difficult, distressful or burdensome circumstances by the coming of the Holy Spirit.

·         God may send Jesus the Messiah. Jesus will come again but he will remain in heaven until God restored everything.

What did Moses say about this?

²² For Moses said, ‘The Lord your God will raise up for you a prophet like me from among your own people; you must listen to everything he tells you. ²³ Anyone who does not listen to him will be completely cut off from their people.’

Moses prophesized that God would raise up a prophet like him and warned the Israelites to listen to him carefully. If not, the person would be completely cut off from the people of God. Here “the prophet” refers to the Messiah. The core of the Old Testament is Torah, which is also called Moses’ Books or Torah. In Torah, God gave the Law and the temple to his people so that they could grow to be his people. However, God knew that the Israelites would forsake God as soon as they enter the land of promise. He knew that the Law and the temple could not save them. So, through Moses he promised the prophet like Moses, who would save them, and warned them to listen to him.

Not only Moses but also all the prophets from Samuel spoke about the days when the Messiah would come. The Law and the Prophets all looked forward to the coming of the Messiah. And God sent him first to the Israelites. Why?

²⁵ And you are heirs of the prophets and of the covenant God made with your fathers. He said to Abraham, ‘Through your offspring all peoples on earth will be blessed.’ ²⁶ When God raised up his servant, he sent him first to you to bless you by turning each of you from your wicked ways.”

God made a covenant with Abraham that through his offspring all peoples will be blessed. As he promised, he sent Jesus the Messiah to his people so that they first could turn to God and would be used as a blessing for all peoples. But they rejected him and killed him. So, Peter urged them to repent and turn to God by believing in Jesus. Otherwise, they would be cut off from God’s people as Moses warned.

So far, Peter explained to the Israelites that the lame man was healed in the name of the risen Jesus and that they must repent and turn to God. It is interesting that the healing of the lame man and Peter’s speech were made in the temple.

The Israelites were so proud of the temple that they thought they would be eligible to enter the kingdom of God. But the temple became just a religious place for the sake of corrupt leaders who rejected God and killed the Messiah. There were prayer sounds and sacrifices in the temple every day, but there was no life in the temple. In some sense, the lame man in the passage showed the spiritual reality of the temple and the people in it – no power and no life.

In John 2, Jesus was angry at the corruption in the temple and cleared the temple courts. And then he said, “Destroy this temple, and I will raise it again in three days.” He meant that through his death and resurrection he would replace the temple. The temple would not save them. There was no life and no power in the temple.

But now God is pleased to give life through Jesus. When Jesus’ name is called and honored, the Holy Spirit will fill us with his life and power. God has given the name of Jesus, which is the only way to life and salvation. That is why Joel prophesized in 2:21 “And everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.”

This is amazing grace but also a very serious warning to us. Even if the church building is beautiful and the church does all kinds of good things for people, even if there are prayers and praises, there is no life and no joy and no power if the risen Jesus is not there. The church system or church activities do not save us or give us joy and power. Only the risen Jesus can give us life. Only his name can revive us. Only his name has power to save us from sin and death. Only his name can revive us and change us.

Therefore, we must repent and turn to God, calling the name of the risen Jesus deep in your hearts. Life is found only in the name of Jesus. I pray that we all may get up from our sins, darkness, and problems and walk in the name of Jesus.

By David Yun