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📝 = Fill in the Blank
“And it came to pass, on the next day, that their rulers, elders, and scribes, as well as Annas the high priest, Caiaphas, John, and Alexander, and as many as were of the family of the high priest, were gathered together at Jerusalem.”
Acts 4:5-6
“And when they had set them in the midst, they asked, “By what power or by what name have you done this?””
Acts 4:7
“Then Peter, filled with the Holy Spirit, said to them, “Rulers of the people and elders of Israel:”
Acts 4:8
“If we this day are judged for a good deed done to a helpless man, by what means he has been made well,”
Acts 4:9
“let it be known to you all, 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 stands here before you whole.”
Acts 4:10
“This is the ‘stone which was rejected by you builders, which has become the chief cornerstone.’”
Acts 4:11
“Nor is there salvation in any other, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.””
Acts 4:12
“Now when they saw the boldness of Peter and John, and perceived that they were uneducated and untrained men, they marveled. And they realized that they had been with Jesus.”
Acts 4:13
“And seeing the man who had been healed standing with them, they could say nothing against it.”
Acts 4:14
“But when they had commanded them to go aside out of the council, they conferred among themselves,”
Acts 4:15
“saying, “What shall we do to these men? For, indeed, that a notable miracle has been done through them is evident to all who dwell in Jerusalem, and we cannot deny it.”
Acts 4:16
“But so that it spreads no further among the people, let us severely threaten them, that from now on they speak to no man in this name.””
Acts 4:17
“So they called them and commanded them not to speak at all nor teach in the name of Jesus.”
Acts 4:18
“But Peter and John answered and said to them, “Whether it is right in the sight of God to listen to you more than to God, you judge.”
Acts 4:19
“For we cannot but speak the things which we have seen and heard.””
Acts 4:20
In other words….I hear what you’re saying council, and I don’t mean any harm, I really don’t, but the thing that you just asked me to do—not to mention His Name anymore—I can’t do. The thing that you just asked me to do—not to mention His Name anymore— I won’t do. I know you might not understand it but….
I’M STICKING WITH HIS NAME
In fact that’s our sermon title for today…
I’M STICKING WITH HIS NAME
📝 I’m sticking with Jesus, because Jesus STUCK WITH ME.
📝 When Jesus said in Matthew 28:20 "…And be sure of this: I AM WITH YOU ALWAYS, even to the end of the age.” He meant what He said.
📝 When the Lord said in Deuteronomy 31:6, "Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or terrified because of them, for the Lord your God goes with you; he will NEVER leave you nor forsake you.” When the Lord said “NEVER,” He meant NEVER.
📝 Jesus STUCK WITH ME, even when I didn’t want to STICK WITH MYSELF.
Council members, maybe you never heard of my first encounter with Jesus in Luke 5:8 where I told Him,
…."Go away from me, Lord; I am a sinful man!””
Luke 5:8
Yet He stayed. Yet He believed in me, when I didn’t believe in myself.
There’s several things that I could lead with to describe His Name, and why I’m sticking with His Name, but for me…
📝 There’s LOVE in His Name.
📝 There’s ACCEPTANCE in His Name.
““Before I formed you in the womb I KNEW YOU, before you were born I set you apart…
Jeremiah 1:5
Even though He knew me before He formed me in my mother’s womb. Even though He knew every sin I committed. Even though He knew every mistake I would make. Even though He knew I would deny him three times, yet still He still loved and accepted me for me. He still said to me in Matthew 4:19,
““COME, FOLLOW ME,” Jesus said, “and I will send you out to fish for people.””
Matthew 4:19
John had it right in 1 John 3:1 when He said,
“Behold WHAT MANNER OF LOVE the Father has bestowed on us, that we should be called children of God!…
I John 3:1
Yet you tell me to stop saying His Name, while Roman’s 8:35 says,
“Who shall separate us from THE LOVE OF CHRIST? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword?”
Romans 8:35
Don’t you get it council, Romans 5:8 says,
“But God DEMONSTRATES His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”
Romans 5:8
📝 The Roman government used the cross to demonstrate THEIR POWER, while God used the cross to demonstrate HIS LOVE.
📝 While the Roman soldiers used the cross to provoke FEAR, God used the cross to provoke GRACE.
Not only is there LOVE in His Name, but there’s ACCEPTANCE in His Name. Revelation 22:17 says,
“And the Spirit and the bride say, Come. And let him that heareth say, Come. And let him that is athirst come. And WHOSOEVER will, let him take the water of life freely.”
Revelation 22:17
The word WHOSOEVER speaks of acceptance for EVERYONE.
📝 Grace doesn’t EXCLUDE anyone, grace INCLUDES everyone.
“For WHOSOEVER shall call upon THE NAME of the Lord shall be saved.”
Romans 10:13
“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that WHOSOEVER believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.”
John 3:16
The word WHOSOEVER speaks of acceptance for everyone. WHOSOEVER will, let them come. Whatever their background, let them come. Whatever their past, let them come. Whatever their upbringing, let them come. WHOSOEVER will, let them come!
It’s impossible for me to stop calling on His Name because…
📝 There’s SALVATION in His Name.
📝 There’s FORGIVENESS in His Name.
Salvation-to be saved from what I truly deserved.
How can I stop calling on His Name? How can I stop sharing about His Name?
“Nor is there SALVATION in any other, for there is NO OTHER NAME under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.””
Acts 4:12
Another translation puts it like this…
“Only Jesus has the power to save! HIS NAME is the only one in all the world that can save anyone.”
Acts 4:12
📝 His NAME is greater than anything you can NAME.
When it comes to salvation, when it comes to us being saved, we must understand John 3:17 that says,
“For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him.”
John 3:17
Jesus didn’t come to earth to take things from us. Jesus came to earth to give eternal life to us.
📝 Jesus isn’t about RULES. Jesus is about RELATIONSHIP.
I believe that Jesus is saying to someone today, "You’ve got the wrong guy.” All of this time, people and other influences have painted the wrong picture of Me that’s not really me. I didn’t come into this world to condemn it, I came into this world to save it.
How did He do it? How did He save the world? Romans 5:6 says,
“While we were still helpless [powerless to provide for our salvation], at the right time Christ died [as a substitute] for the ungodly.”
Romans 5:6
It’s because of this we put our faith in Ephesians 1:7 where it says,
“In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God’s grace”
Ephesians 1:7
Paul gives us even more detail to how Jesus Christ saved us in Philippians 2:7 where he writes,
“but made Himself of no reputation, taking the form of a bondservant, and coming in the likeness of men.”
Philippians 2:7
“And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross.”
Philippians 2:8
“Therefore God also has highly exalted Him and given Him THE NAME WHICH IS ABOVE EVERY NAME,”
Philippians 2:9
“that at THE NAME OF JESUS every knee should bow, of those in heaven, and of those on earth, and of those under the earth, and that every tongue should confess that JESUS CHRIST IS LORD, to the glory of God the Father.”
Philippians 2:10-11
This is why I can’t stop speaking of Him. You know you’re name is powerful when they TRY to erase it out of history. You know your name is powerful when they try to keep it out of schools. You know your name is powerful when they say, "We’ll let you go, but just stop speaking of His Name!”
There’s still POWER in His Name.
There’s still ACCESS in His Name.
There’s still RESTORATION in His Name.
There’s still HEALING in His Name.
There’s still DELIVERANCE in His Name.
There’s still GRACE in His Name.
There’s still MERCY in His Name.
There’s still SALVATION in His Name. And I have good news for you this morning. 1 John 1:9 says,
“If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”
I John 1:9
The same thing that I told Jesus on that day as many disciples began to walk away is the same thing that I say to you today….
“From that time many of His disciples went back and walked with Him no more.”
John 6:66
“Then Jesus said to the twelve, “Do you also want to go away?””
John 6:67
“But Simon Peter answered Him, “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life.”
John 6:68
Where else can I go find this type of love? Where else can I go and find this type of acceptance? Where else can I go and find this type of salvation? Where else can I go and find this type of forgiveness? Where else can I go find this type of grace? This is why I’m sticking with His Name!
You weren’t there when I denied Jesus once. You weren’t there when I denied Jesus twice. You weren’t there when I denied Jesus three times. But most importantly, you weren’t there when Jesus restored me back three times to my rightful place as His disciple. I don’t know what you’ve been through, but I’m here to tell you….
📝 There’s RESTORATION in His Name.
“And I WILL RESTORE to you the years that the locust hath eaten, the cankerworm, and the caterpiller, and the palmerworm…
Joel 2:25
This is why Peter said in Acts 4:20…
“We cannot keep quiet about what we have seen and heard.””
Acts 4:20
And just to think, all of this started the chapter before with Peter and John healing one man.
“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. When he saw Peter and John about to enter, he asked them for money.”
Acts 3:2-3
“Peter looked straight at him, as did John. Then Peter said, “Look at us!” So the man gave them his attention, expecting to get something from them.”
Acts 3:4-5
“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.””
Acts 3:6
“Then Peter said, “Silver or gold I do not have, BUT WHAT I DO HAVE I give you… Acts 3:6
DO YOU HAVE HIM?