So Acts chapter 3, and I'm going to read verses 1 through 16. Now Peter and John were going up to the temple at the hour of prayer, the ninth hour. And a man, lame from birth, was being carried, whom they laid daily at the gate of the temple, that is called the beautiful gate, to ask alms of those entering the temple. Seeing Peter and John about to go into the temple, he asked to receive alms. And Peter directed his gaze at him, as did John, and said, Look at us. And he fixed his attention on them, expecting to receive something from them. But Peter said, I have no silver and gold, but what I do have I give to you. In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, rise up and walk. And he took him by the right hand and raised him up. And immediately his feet and ankles were made strong, and leaping up, he stood and began to walk and enter the temple with them, walking and leaping and praising God. And all the people saw him walking and praising God and recognized him as the one who sat at the beautiful gate of the temple, asking for alms. And they were filled with wonder and amazement at what had happened to him. While he clung to Peter and John, all the people, utterly astounded, ran together to them in the portico called Solomon's. And when Peter saw it, he addressed the people. Men of Israel, why do you wonder at this? Or why do you stare at us as though by our own power and piety we have made him walk? the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, the God of Jacob, the God of our fathers, glorified his servant Jesus, whom you delivered over and denied in the presence of Pilate when he had decided to release him. But you denied this holy and righteous one and asked for a murderer to be granted to you, and you killed the author of life, whom God raised from the dead. To this we are witnesses, and his name By faith in his name has made this man strong whom you see and know. And the faith that is through Jesus has given the man this perfect health in the presence of you all. Let's pray. Father, we ask that you would truly speak to us in your word and through the preaching of your word. God, that you would use your word to address the very needs of our heart, to transform us into people who are like Christ. God, to give us love for one another, and to give us a great trust in you, particularly as we, too, proclaim this good news about Jesus, that we would trust that the preaching of your word is what gives life. We ask this in Jesus' name, amen. So I'll spend about the first two-thirds of this sermon just working through verses 1 through 15, and then the last third on verse 16. Because this miracle is actually the backdrop of all of Acts chapters 3 through 8. I mentioned that already. So especially chapters 3 and 4, it's all one scene. We're going to work through it over a few weeks. But this scene right here initiates the hostility between the Jewish religious leaders and the Christians. So you remember from reading the Gospels, and I preached through the Gospel of Luke, many of you sat through most of that, if not all of it. And you remember that Jesus had great hostility from the Jewish religious leaders. But Jesus died, Jesus rose, Jesus ascended. In some ways, Jesus is not there. And so we wonder what's going to happen next with his followers. We even read back in Acts chapter 2 that they had favor with all the people. And yet, Luke presents the ministry of the apostles as Jesus' ongoing work in the world. So it's not long before all those things that Jesus said started to come true, like when he said, if they persecuted me, they will persecute you. And by the time we get to the beginning of Acts chapter 4, Peter and John are thrown into prison because of what happens in Acts chapter 3. So, I just want you to see the connection of the chain of events so that as we move on through the passages of Acts, you don't forget how this one miracle impacts everything that happens after it. So just look real quick at your Bible and you can even look at those little headings provided by the publisher to see how these fit together. So chapter three, Jesus heals the lame man through Peter and John. Peter preaches in the temple. We stopped about halfway through Peter's sermon. In chapter four, Peter and John are arrested for preaching Jesus in connection with this man's healing. That's part of the conversation that'll happen in chapter four. Chapter five, there's almost like an interlude You might call it the purification of the church. So there's a purification from within, Ananias and Sapphira. If you don't know that story, we'll get there. And there's a purification from without. Because the apostles are arrested and freed again, and they don't stop preaching Jesus. That's what happens in chapter five. So all of this is kind of going back to that initial conflict that started. In chapter six, the church grows, and the preaching of Jesus grows, now including a man named Stephen. And Stephen, following in the footsteps of Peter and John, is arrested. In chapter 7, he becomes the first Christian martyr for preaching Jesus. And in chapter 8, then, the church is scattered, and yet the gospel is continuing to be preached beyond Jerusalem. So if you make all these connections, the reason the church is scattered in chapter 8 is because of the initial conflict in chapter 3. All these things start to weave together into one story. A healing in Jesus' name. sets off a hostility from the religious leaders that leads to an expansion of Jesus's kingdom. That's what we're gonna be looking at in the next, till the end of the year, actually, through chapter eight. So back to chapter three. It was probably like any other day in Jerusalem. People were streaming in and out of the temple, particularly at what's called the third hour, which in their reckoning we would call 9 a.m. and in the ninth hour, which is 3 p.m., because at both those times, the priests would make a sacrifice, a morning sacrifice and an evening sacrifice in the holy place, and then the priest would come out and bless the people, and so a lot of people like to be there for that blessing as their particular time of prayer. Among the crowds, though, at the temple, remember what we saw in Acts chapter 2, there's a group of people who are claiming that Jesus of Nazareth, who everybody knows died on a cross. And of course, these people are saying he rose from the dead. They're all saying that this Jesus is Lord and Messiah. And if you look back at the last verse of Acts chapter two, they were a growing group. The Lord added to their number day by day, those who were being saved. Now among this group, there are reports of miracles. So we look briefly at verse 43 of chapter two last week. Awe came upon every soul and many wonders and signs were being done through the apostles. Many signs and wonders being done. So just imagine what's happening in this situation. There's this growing group preaching Jesus who died and rose and miracles are being done. So if you're in the temple any given day, there's probably like a buzz. Maybe today we'll see a miracle. They're doing miracles, many of them. Maybe that's why Acts chapter 2 verse 47 says they had favor with all the people. Most people would be excited to see a miracle, right? But as much as that group that's doing miracles is known for their spectacular feats, they're devoted to the very ordinary practices of prayer. So verse 46 of chapter 2, remember, says, day by day they were attending the temple together. So why were they attending the temple to pray? Let's see what we see Peter and John doing. They come in at the ninth hour, the hour of prayer. So Peter and John, it's like any other day, are strolling into the temple, Acts chapter three, verse one, at the ninth hour, probably like they did most every day. And like most days, there's a beggar at the gate. Verse two says, he was lame from birth. He had to be brought out every day by kind friends who would set him at the gates so that he could ask for generosity, for people's alms, for people's gifts, so that he could eat and care for his needs. He's at what's called the beautiful gate. It's really somewhat frustrating about the beautiful gate. There's lots of entrances to the temple court. We don't know which one this refers to. If you like that kind of thing, that's what commentators spend a lot of time writing about. Which gate would it have been? I don't know, but it was pretty. And lots of people were coming through it, and that's what's important. That's why he would have been there. It's not like he'd be in the back corner. He's looking for alms, and so he goes where the people are. So Peter and John, they pass through. Verse 3 says, of course, that's probably a good time for this man to ask for help. And Peter and John help. This is an interesting scene. They see the man and then they say, look at us. They capture his attention. He thinks they're going to give him a gift. And they do. Greater than alms, though. Verse 6, Peter says, I have no silver and gold. What I do have, I give to you in the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth. Rise up and walk. And Peter stretches out his right hand so that he could help this man up. Think about that for a second. This man is about to do something he's never done before. If you peek ahead to Acts chapter 4 verse 22, just a reminder that this is like all one scene, but in Acts chapter 4 verse 22, it says, For the man on whom the sign of healing was performed was more than forty years old. Forty years. Never took a step. Slain from his birth. Now I'm sure that some of you have had major surgery on your lower extremities and other parts of your body. You know what it's like after you've had a cast on or you've been in a brace or you've been in bed for a couple of weeks to get up and walk again? It's a slow process, right? You have to go very carefully and cautiously. So you know it's like your legs kind of forgot what they were supposed to do. Can you imagine 40 years? So I don't know what comes into your mind. I start seeing those images of, you know, baby deer trying to walk right after they're born, or baby horses. Of course, there's, I think, about every family with babies in this house, in this church right now, is in that process where we're watching them learn how to walk. And you think about what it's like for those little toddlers to start to try to take steps. In my house, at least right now, there's a lot of falling. And it's very apprehensive. And so we have all these images in our mind of what it's like to walk for the first time. But notice in verse 7, that God gave his feet and ankles strength, and so he didn't stumble, he didn't stall, he didn't wince, he didn't toddle, he didn't slip. He, verse 8 says, leaped, leaped. In my imagination, that's like when I try to help one of my little ones up, and I say, okay, jump, and then I make them jump far higher than any human being possibly can. That's how I picture this in my mind. Peter's got his hand out, jump up, woo, and he flies up in the air. I know, that's not how it happened, but I think you've gotta picture what's going on here. He's high in the air, his arms are spread, he's beaming, he's bounding. It says, verse eight, as best as we can capture this, walking and leaping and praising God. And so verse nine is a glorious understatement to say that people noticed. I think that he caught everybody's attention, probably making quite a ruckus. And you can see them thinking, wait a second, that's the beggar at the gate. I mean, if he's been there for a couple of days, people probably would recognize him. If he's been lame for 40 years, who knows how many years he has begged at the temple gates. And anybody in Jerusalem would be familiar with that guy. And yet he's walking and leaping and praising God. And so the ripple effect starts going through the crowd and people are rushing together to see more. So you got two factors. We've heard rumors of miracles. Apostles doing miracles. Maybe we've seen some. And now we have a genuine miracle that's happened before our eyes and everybody rushes together to see what's going on. And here's the man with two good legs clinging, verse 11 says. to two Galilean fishermen. I just wonder what that looked like. Was he hugging them, thanking them? I kind of picture him pulling around the shirt saying, this is the guy that healed me. You know, something like that. He might have just been more inwardly devoted, as if to say to Peter and John, I don't know who you are, but I will follow you wherever you will go. Take me to this Jesus that you speak of. And so here you've got the man, you've got the crowd, and Peter says, this is a good time to talk. Peter is, I think, clued in on the opportunity that has been given him by God. I'm assuming that Peter has healed many people in the past days. Remember Acts chapter two? They did many signs and wonders, right? And he's probably seen many people give him great thanks and leap and praise God. But Peter sees something in this moment that's different. It's almost like in Acts chapter 2 when the Spirit was poured out and they started speaking in other tongues and the crowds rushed together and Peter said, this is the time to talk. He's clued in to what God is doing. The miracle that happens builds the stage for the preaching. And what is Peter's message? What does he preach? Verse 12, he says, men of Israel, why do you wonder at this? Or why do you stare at us as though by our own power and piety we have made him walk? That's Peter's message. It wasn't me. We didn't do this. We didn't heal this man. That has to kick everybody back on their heels a little bit. What are you talking about, Peter? You said the words. You gave the hand. You have the power. Peter says, don't stare at us. stare at Jesus, he's the one who healed the man. That's Peter's whole point of his sermon. It's not us that healed him, it was Jesus. Now I'll tell you this, the way that Peter says that is a little bit roundabout, at least in our thinking, because he's got bigger goals than just explaining the healing. He sees these people, the people of Israel, I think he sees in them a weakness, a handicap. Their souls are lame. And so he wants them to see Jesus not just as a miracle worker, but as he's been preaching, as the Lord and Christ. So let's dig into his sermon a little bit more line by line. He starts, verse 13, by saying, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, the God of Jacob, the God of our fathers, which is a very Old Testament thing to say. He's talking about the God of the patriarchs of Israel, the God of the Jews. His claim is that our God, to these people of Israel, these other Jewish people, He's the one who's done it. I think Peter here is appealing to them. Like all that God has done through Jesus Christ is for the good of the Jewish people. Jesus is Israel's promised Messiah. Now you'll see in a minute, the way that he tries to get people to see this and understand this includes a lot of confrontation. But I don't think Peter wants conflict or division, he wants revival. He's trying to say, come brothers, come see what Yahweh, our God, is doing. He has, according to verse 13, The God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, the God of Jacob, the God of our fathers has glorified his servant, Jesus. What does that mean? What does it mean to glorify? You might think it means to exalt, to honor. We use that word oftentimes to say to worship. Wait, God glorified Jesus? So God exalted Jesus? God honored Jesus? God ascribed worship to Jesus? Doesn't glory usually flow from the lesser to the greater? Think about that. We glorify God. God doesn't glorify us. You think of the book of Isaiah where God says, I don't share my glory with anyone. So what is happening that Peter says, God, the God of our fathers, to make no mistake, what God we're talking about, the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, he glorified his servant, Jesus. We should start getting familiar with this because this is what Peter did in Acts chapter two. He's saying God demonstrated Jesus to be God. God does not share His glory with another and therefore He is showing that this Jesus of Nazareth is of the same essence as God the Father. He is of the same glory. Jesus of Nazareth is the God of Israel, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, the God of Jacob. That is either blasphemy or it's truth. See why this is so provocative to those who hear it? See why Peter and John get themselves arrested for what they're saying? I think Peter's tactic here is to fire cannonballs at point blank with the people of Israel. Like there's no clever introduction. There's no relatable illustration. There's no appeal to felt needs. He's not trying to throw subtle suggestions that people might start to think a little bit about Jesus. He says, you came to see a man healed and we're telling you that Jesus whom you crucified is Yahweh. He's the servant of the Lord. He says that he glorified his servant, Jesus. Now that servant language recalls all sorts of prophecies from Isaiah, from 42 and 53 and 61. We're gonna get to a lot of those in the next weeks. But just for now, see what Peter's saying. Jesus, who is God, came to earth as a servant. humble, lowly, obscure, poor, suffering, dead, and rejected. Here's where Peter's sermon starts to get offensive. But he does it for a reason. Verse 13, Jesus, whom you crucified, or sorry, you delivered over and denied in the presence of Pilate when he had decided to release him. In other words, don't blame the Romans. Remember, Pilate didn't want to crucify Jesus. Now, I'm not gonna excuse Pilate at all. He is responsible for his own actions, to be sure. But Peter here is talking to his fellow Jews and he lays the blame on them. And not just the religious leaders out there. You delivered him over and denied him. For Peter, the whole nation rejected the Messiah. Theirs is the complete responsibility And you just have to think that people who came around to just see a man who has been healed are very offended at this point. We just, we wanted to see a miracle, Peter, and here you're telling us that we crucified Jesus? But then again, Peter said something very similar in chapter two. He's just determined not to let these people off the hook. Verse 14, you denied the holy and righteous one and asked for a murderer to be granted to you and you killed the author of life. Why does Peter have to be so confrontational? They just tell these people, okay, you came to see a man healed. You denied God. You wanted a murderer. You hated the one who gave you life. This is just not a sermon to win souls. Think about, this is not the sermon you preach when you're a guest at the temple. But actually, this is a sermon to win souls. I said it's not a sermon to win souls. It's not a sermon to win favor. It is a sermon to win souls. See, Peter's not a prosecutor. He's not laying down his case and his accusations so that God the judge will pour out his wrath on guilty sinners. No, Peter is more like a prophet. He's showing the people their guilt so that they would see the glory and grace of God in Jesus Christ. This guilt that he's laying on them is not meant to make them wallow in self-pity and in guilt and in agony, but rather to call them to Jesus Christ. Look at how he says verse 15. You killed the author of life whom God raised from the dead. To this we are all witnesses. As if to say, you are guilty of the greatest cosmic crime ever conceived to kill God and deny God and love death and hate life and yet God has healing for you. God has resurrection for you. He raises the dead. So here's this crowd just inside the beautiful gate with crippled souls. And the problem is they didn't come in begging for life. Peter needs to shake them from their slumber. So they'd wake up. so that they could see. Like Peter who says to the blind man, fix your eyes on me. He's saying to the blind crowds, fix your eyes on Jesus. He is the one who gives life. God became a man to suffer and die and rise and give life to dead sinners so that they would leap and praise God. That's the whole point of his message. Jesus is alive. Jesus is God. Jesus will forgive your sins and bring times of refreshing to you. This is what he wants all the nation of Israel to hear. But until they can receive that as good news, they have to understand that they are dead in their sins, that they are guilty of this crime against God. So the miracle, remember that miracle we were talking about? It's really faded into the backdrop by this point. Because the greater miracle that's needed is the miracle of salvation. So let me just read the rest of the sermon here. We're going to get to this next week. Let me just read it so you can hear what Peter has to say. Because I stopped in verse 16, which is halfway through. So pick it up in verse 17. He says, And now, brothers, I know that you acted in ignorance, as did also your rulers. But what God foretold by the mouth of all the prophets, that is, Christ would suffer, he thus fulfilled. Here it is. Repent, therefore, and turn back, that your sins may be blotted out, that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord, and that he may send the Christ appointed for you, Jesus, whom heaven must receive and tell the time for restoring all things about which God spoke by the mouth of his holy prophets long ago. Moses said, The Lord will raise up for you a prophet like me from your brothers. You shall listen to him and whatever he tells you. And it shall be that every soul who does not listen to that prophet shall be destroyed from the people. And all the prophets who have spoken from Samuel and those who came after him also proclaimed these days. You are the sons of the prophets and of the covenant that God made with your father, saying to Abraham, and in your offspring shall all the families of the earth be blessed. God, having raised up his servant Jesus, sent him to you first to bless you by turning every one of you from your wickedness. Did you see that? Peter's cutting conviction, you killed the author of life, is followed up with the good news of God's grace. No matter how terrible your sin is. And it doesn't get any worse than denying God and crucifying God. God has mercy. He sent Jesus to die for this purpose of forgiving your sins. He sent Jesus for the purpose of blessing you who turn from your wickedness. And so the whole point of Peter's sermon is not, look at what God has done to this man, the wonderful thing that God has done to this man who's been healed, but rather look at what God can do for you in your soul. He forgives through Jesus. Two things happen as a result of this healing. The first is that Peter and John are arrested. Look at chapter four. Peter and John are arrested. Verse one, they were speaking to the people, or as they were speaking to the people, the priests and the captain of the temple and the Sadducees came upon them, greatly annoyed because they were teaching the people and proclaiming in Jesus the resurrection from the dead. And they arrested them and put them in custody until the next day, for it was already evening. What's the result of preaching God's salvation through Jesus Christ? They get arrested. And the second thing that happens, verse 4 of Acts chapter 4, many of those who heard the word believed. Now this healing in chapter 3 of the lame man at the beautiful gate is a gracious gift of God. We ought to rejoice. It's wonderful. But it's not the point. The healing sets the stage for the preaching of salvation. So the healing of one man's ankles leads to the healing of a multitude of people's souls. That's the point. That's the pattern that we see in Jesus's ministry, and it's the pattern that we see in Acts. It's never about the healing. It's about how the healing points to Jesus. Now healing is a spectacular thing. But preaching the gospel to lost souls leads to salvation. And this is an important point to emphasize because it is tempting to think that miracles are better. It's tempting to just simply be amazed by what God can do on earth. And yet to be indifferent towards preaching. And when I say preaching, I'm not talking about what I do in a pulpit. I'm talking about you telling people about Jesus. Your family, your friends, your coworkers, your neighbors. When you graciously show people, and clearly show people like Peter did, the guilt of their sin and the full forgiveness that God has for you in Jesus, that's preaching the gospel. So don't be indifferent to the power of telling people that good news. Like, if you could heal people's souls, sorry, heal people's bodies, if you could heal people's bodies, like, wouldn't you do it? If you had the power to make people well, wouldn't you do it? But because you know the gospel, you have in your power the message, the word that must be told for people's souls to be well. that makes dead souls alive. The same Holy Spirit that's in you was in Peter and empowered his witness. So, brothers and sisters, don't be indifferent to the power that you have in being able to tell people the gospel. We know that not every time you tell, everyone believes. Didn't happen here. Some of them arrested Peter and John, but some did believe. So we should pray that God would draw many people to us, to hear. We should pray that God would make us faithful to preach, to tell people of this dead and risen Savior and the life that He gives. What we preach then is God's grace, His mercy and forgiveness and kindness to sinners like those who crucified Jesus. and sinners like you and me. We preach that this grace is received through faith, which is both a professed trust in his promise and a sworn allegiance to his kingdom. Now, that's all like a whole bunch of sentences, but let me sum it up with one way. What we preach is faith in Jesus' name. Now, notice that that's a phrase that Peter uses in verse 16 of Acts chapter 3. Acts 3, 16, and his name By faith in his name has made this man strong, whom you see and know. And the faith that is through Jesus has given this man perfect health in the presence of you all. That really ties a bow on the miracle. It wasn't because the man asked for healing, he asked for alms. And it wasn't because Peter and John were particularly powerful or pious, they weren't. The miracle happened in Jesus' name, by Jesus' name. Simply, and I know our English translation is rough, but just see how the, I'm reading the ESV, and all the translations are a little clunky here, but just take away that little dashed section, see what Peter says. His name has made this man strong. How does a name heal someone? As a matter of fact, for that matter, how does a name do anything? I just encourage you to put a lot of thought into that, because that's actually how the Bible speaks a lot. Names, especially God's name, are more than just words. Now I'm gonna give you an answer to that question, how does a name heal someone? But first, let me stir your thinking, and this is a bigger thought than we can think in the 10 minutes or so that we have here, Stir your thinking about the name of God. I would just encourage you to put some worshipful thought into that. Just to whet your appetite, you could turn to Exodus chapter 33. All the way back. We could have gone to Genesis chapter four, which is the first time that people call on the name of the Lord, but we have to go to Exodus 33. So just to set the stage, God rescues Israel out of slavery in Egypt. He gives them the law. They've sinned with idolatry. This is right after the golden calf incident. And Moses appeals in Exodus 33. If you have little subheadings in your Bibles, you might even see mine says Moses' intercession. Because God's going to destroy Israel for this whole golden calf incident. Moses pleads for God's grace. God show grace and God does. So listen to what happens next. This is Exodus 33 verse 18. Moses said, please show me your glory. And the Lord said, I will make all my goodness pass before you and will proclaim before you my name, the Lord. And I will be gracious to whom I will be gracious and I will show mercy on whom I will show mercy. He said, you cannot see my face for man shall not see me and live. So God hides Moses in a rock and God passes by. We're going to skip forward just a bit to verse five of chapter 34. The Lord descended in the cloud and stood with him there and proclaimed the name of the Lord. the Lord passed before him and proclaimed, the Lord, the Lord, a God merciful and gracious, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness, keeping steadfast love for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin, but who will by no means clear the guilty. visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children and the children's children to the third and fourth generation. So God's name here is the Lord. That's what we have in our Bibles. And if it's in all caps or those little small caps, that's indicating to you that that's translating the Hebrew word Yahweh, the name Yahweh. So God's name is Yahweh. It's true. And God's name is Merciful and gracious, slow to anger, abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness, keeping steadfast love for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin, but who will by no means clear the guilty? I don't know about you. I've spent a lot of time, not just this week, but for many years just thinking on this. What does it mean for God's name to be all those things? Merciful and gracious. The answer is that God's name is who he is. So we might think of this in our minds as God's name is who he has revealed himself to be. So some of you maybe don't go by your actual given name. I've had friends and family members and stuff who go by their middle name or some other name. Right? And you always have to correct people when they address you by your legal name. No, my name is something different. Because you've chosen to reveal yourself as someone different. That can create all sorts of weird little problems in our day. But if you think about God and all that God is, vaster than we can comprehend, and yet who makes himself known to us, God's name is how he makes himself known. So this is why you see this all over the Old Testament. And just like the language that you hear. Blessed be the name of the Lord. How majestic is your name. We trust in the name of the Lord our God. And on and on and on it goes. So the name of God is the closest human representation of the reality of God's being. So when we bless His name, we are remembering His mercy. When we praise His name, we are extolling His grace. When we trust in His name, we are resting in His steadfast love and faithfulness. When nations fear His name, they are confronted with His justice. God's name is who He has revealed Himself to be. So when we, in the Old Testament, especially when you appeal to the name of God, you're appealing to God as He is. Now, go back to Acts chapter 3. And listen again to what Peter says. He's talking about Jesus. Acts chapter 3 verse 16, And His name, by faith in His name, has made this man strong, whom you see and know. And the faith that is through Jesus has given the man this perfect health in the presence of you all. So to say that Jesus's name healed the man, here's your answer to the question, is to say that Jesus healed the man. How does a name heal? Like, it's not the word that heals, just uttering the name Jesus. Rather, it is Jesus himself who heals. And here's what's, I think, really big and significant about this is Peter is, in saying this, claiming that Jesus is the revelation of who God is. So that now, in Jesus, we direct our blessing and praise and fear and trust of God towards Jesus. So our faith is in Jesus. Our faith is through Jesus. Our faith is to Jesus in Jesus' name. Now, I think that's a bit of an abstract thought. I don't know about you. I wrestled a lot with even how to communicate this, or whether I should. There's so much here to think about. But I just think it's worth your careful thought, and your pondering, and your questioning. Because as you dig, try to understand who God is, and how God has revealed himself, or who God has revealed himself to be, you will worship him. the more clearly and beautifully you see who God is in Jesus. And this is important because it's a major theme in the book of Acts. I counted 34, maybe 35 times in the book of Acts where there's a reference to the name of Jesus. I'll just give you a little sample. People call on His name. They are baptized in His name. They are healed by His name. They are saved by His name. The apostles and others preach in His name. They rejoice because they're counted worthy to suffer for the name. All is to carry the name of Jesus to the Gentiles. Preaching that they would receive the forgiveness of sins through His name. People are called by his names. They risk their lives for the name. They command spirits in his name. We meet some characters who wrongly invoke the name of Jesus and others who oppose the name of Jesus. But of course, those with faith extol his name. And then the last reference that I found is from Paul's praying before he is, having been warned of The dangers by Agabus that were coming to him if he went to Jerusalem, he says to the people, I am willing to die for the name. It's the last reference in the book of Acts. So some of you, some of you remember that 1970 Bill and Gloria Gaither song? Jesus, I won't sing it for you, I won't do that. But Jesus, Jesus, there's just something about that name. Which I always just say, well what is it? Is it just an emotional response to that word? No, no, no, no. Something about Jesus's name is Jesus is who God has revealed himself to be. Jesus, the man, is God. Jesus, the crucified, is God. Jesus, the risen, is God. Jesus, the healer, is God. Peter wants this to be known. He's emphasizing it again and again and again. What is this big change that has happened with Jesus who died and rose? It's that now when people call on the name of the Lord for salvation, they call on Jesus. When they praise God, they praise Jesus. When you have faith in God, your faith is in Jesus. Jesus who, yes, wonderfully makes ankles and feet well, but more so, Jesus who makes sin-sick souls perfectly well forever. Let's pray and give Him praise. Father, I ask that you would empower us to not only call on the name of Jesus praise the name of Jesus, but to speak the name of Jesus. Yes, to say that word, so that people hear Jesus. But God, more than the word, help us to tell that God took on human flesh and died and rose so that sinners can be completely forgiven and made right with you. God, help us to preach the name of Jesus. We ask in his name. Amen.