I invite you to turn with me tonight to Acts 3 and 4. We'll begin reading at verse 1 of chapter 3 through verse 12 of chapter 4, considering the whole thing in a general way, but culminating really on verse 12 of chapter 4. And once you have found that, if you would also turn in the back of the Psalter hymnal to page 18. Page 18. There we find Lord's Day 11 as we are considering what we believe concerning the truths of the Apostles' Creed. Tonight, moving on to what we believe concerning Jesus Christ, the Son of God. Page 18, Lord's Day 11, the two questions and answers as we give expression to what we believe with these answers. Question 29, why is the Son of God called Jesus, meaning Savior? Because He saves us from our sins. Salvation cannot be found in anyone else. It is futile to look for any salvation elsewhere. Do those who look for their salvation and their security in saints, in themselves or elsewhere, really believe in the only Savior, Jesus? No. Although they boast of being His, by their deeds they deny the only Savior, deliverer Jesus. Either Jesus is not a perfect Savior, Or those who in true faith accept this Savior, have in Him all they need for their salvation. Acts 3, beginning at verse 1. So we hear now the Word of God. One day Peter and John were going up to the temple at the time of prayer at three in the afternoon. Now a man crippled 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. 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. Then Peter said, Silver or gold I do not have, but what I have I give you. In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, walk. Taking him by the right hand, he helped him up, and instantly the man's feet and ankles became strong. He jumped to his feet and began to walk. Then he went with them into the temple courts, walking and jumping and praising God. When all the people saw him walking and praising God, 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. While the beggar held on to Peter and John, all the people were astonished and came running to them in the place called Solomon's Colonnade. When Peter saw this, he said to them, Men of Israel, why does this surprise you? Why do you stare at us as if by our own power or godliness we had made this man walk? 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. You disowned the Holy and Righteous One and asked that a murderer be released to you. You killed the author of life. But God raised him from the dead. We are witnesses of this. 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 given this complete healing to him as you can all see. Now, brothers, I know that you acted in ignorance, as did your leaders, but this is how God fulfilled what he had foretold through all the prophets, saying that his Christ would suffer. Repent, then, and turn to God, so that your sins may be wiped out, that times of refreshing may come from the Lord, and that he may send the Christ, who has been appointed for you, even Jesus. He must remain in heaven until the time comes for our God to restore everything as he promised long ago through his holy prophets. 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. Anyone who does not listen to him will be completely cut off from among his people. Indeed, all the prophets from Samuel on, as many as have spoken, have foretold these days. 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. When God raised up his servant, he sent him first to you to bless you by turning each of you from your wicked ways. The priests and the captain of the temple guard and the Sadducees came up to Peter and John while they were speaking to the people. They were greatly disturbed because the apostles were teaching the people and proclaiming in Jesus the resurrection of the dead. They seized Peter and John, and because it was evening, they put them in jail until the next day. But many who heard the message believed, and the number of men grew to about 5,000. The next day the rulers, elders, and teachers of the law met in Jerusalem. Annas the high priest was there, and so were Caiaphas, John, Alexander, and the other men of the high priest's family. They had Peter and John brought before them and began to question them, By what power or what name did you do this? Then Peter, filled with the Holy Spirit, said to them, Rulers and elders of the people, if we are being called to account today for an act of kindness shown to a cripple and are asked how he was healed, then know this, you and all the people of Israel, it is by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom you crucified, but whom God raised from the dead, that this man stands before you healed. He is the stone you builders rejected, which has become the capstone. Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no under name under heaven given to man by which we must be saved. May God add his blessing to the reading and the preaching of his word tonight. Well, beloved congregation of our Lord Jesus Christ, when you hear good news, how do you respond? Boys and girls, I trust that when you hear some good news, some great news, you are filled with excitement. You are filled with joy. Gratitude floods your heart. And you maybe even will jump up and down for joy. Why? Because somehow that good news affects you in a positive way. Maybe it's even life-changing. Now in Mark chapter 13, Jesus said to His disciples in verses 9 through 11, You must be on your guard. You will be handed over to the local councils and flogged in the synagogues. On account of Me, you will stand before governors and kings as witnesses to them. And the gospel must first be preached to all nations. Whenever you are arrested and brought to trial, do not worry beforehand about what you will say. just say whatever is given you at the time, for it is not you speaking, but the Holy Spirit. Now that's not the kind of good news I'm talking about. Jesus tells the disciples that they're going to be arrested. Maybe more than once. They're going to be whipped. They're going to suffer. But the ironic thing is why the disciples would face those things. And it would be because of the preaching of the Gospel. It would be for bringing the greatest news. The good news. The greatest news that there ever was, that there is, and there ever will be. News that is better than a cure for the news of a cure for a deadly disease that some may get. News that is better than the news of a solution for worldwide poverty and hunger, no matter how wonderful that would be. news that is better than any other news that could ever be spoken because it is of something that all people without exception need. It is of the good news of eternal salvation from the deadly disease of sin and its consequences. And we might wonder who in his right mind would reject that greatest news, but Jesus said there would be some who would. And we know, too, that in sin, man is not in his right mind. Now, on this very occasion that we read about in Acts chapters 3 and 4, on this occasion, Peter and John very possibly may have thought back to those words of Jesus that he spoke to them recorded in Mark chapter 13, yet that did not slow them down, let alone stop them from proclaiming salvation in no other name. In the portion we read together tonight, actually, if you think about it, there are two sermons, there are two different audiences that Peter preaches to. And as he is proclaiming salvation in no other name, he does so in the first place after a demonstration of the name's power. And of course we know, boys and girls, that the demonstration of the name's power is seen in that episode of healing. Now notice, first of all, the crippled man's expectation. He expected silver and gold. Why wouldn't he? that's what he was used to receiving. Now, we know his condition. He was crippled from birth. He couldn't walk. No doubt there were not very many desk jobs available at that time for someone in his condition. And without the necessary physical tools, namely legs, he simply couldn't go out and work. And therefore, he was an outcast in society. He was a nuisance to society. He depended on others to carry him to the temple gate. And incidentally, that was a good place to be, you see. Because how could people worship in humility and truth while ignoring this needy person? So being by the door of the temple was a good place to be. But we know, of course, that his livelihood was begging. And he depended upon the generosity of others. when Peter said, look at us, his natural expectation is that through them he will receive, at least in part, his daily bread on that day. But the apostle's gift is not the expected. Peter says, silver or gold I do not have, but what I have I give to you. And it's very possible that as soon as Peter said that first phrase, silver and gold I do not have, the cripple may have thought to himself, well, then why are you wasting my time? All of these other people are entering the temple while you're detaining me here. Why are you wasting my time? If you don't have any money, what possibly do you have? That can be of help to me. But the Apostle's gift was the unexpected. In an instant. The crippled man received strength and civility and power in his legs that he had never known before. He was healed. It was beyond his imagination. Beyond his expectation. He was expecting to get something from them. But this was beyond his expectation. But notice too, beloved, that the apostles' gift was theirs to give. What I have, I give to you, Peter says. In Matthew chapter 10, Jesus sent out the twelve with the instructions to preach as well, To heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse those who have leprosy, drive out demons. Freely you have received, Jesus said. Freely give. And the risen and the ascended Lord Jesus Christ left visible proof that He lives. And He left visible proof of His power as He enabled His apostles to perform miraculous wonders like this very one. Yet this man, if you think about it, received more than just physical healing, more than just the ability to walk. He received his life for the first time. Never again would he have to sit there and beg. Never again would he have to depend on others. Instead, he could go out and get a job. He could help others. But even more than that, this healing pointed to the healing of his soul. Which is seen in the healed beggar's response. He was walking and jumping and praising God. Think about it, beloved. He didn't care who saw him. He wasn't embarrassed one bit. He was using his new legs. He was using his new faith. Peter acknowledges his faith when he says, By faith in the name, this man stands here. Beloved, the believer's gift to share is the gift of Jesus Christ. Oh, we may not have the ability to heal someone of their physical infirmities. And we don't have the ability to change someone's heart and to actually save them in that way. But God has given to you and me the greatest gift to share, the gift of Jesus Christ, the good news of Jesus Christ and His saving love and life in Him. And as believers, we are demonstrations, we are to be demonstrations of the transforming power of Jesus Christ and new life in Him that we have received freely. And it is to be shared freely and generously. You see, notice here the Gospel explanation. This healing gave Peter and John the occasion to proclaim salvation in no other name. To explain that the source of the healing power is not us, Peter says. But in verse 16 of chapter 3, he says, by faith in the name of Jesus, this man whom you see and know. They knew this man. You know him. You've seen him day after day, year after year. You know that he could not walk. You know that this is no trek. 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 given this complete healing to Him as you can all see. It is the name of Jesus. whose name means Savior. One who saves. But not just any Jesus. There were many boys and girls who were given the name Jesus. But Peter is talking about the one and only Jesus. The one alone who perfectly fills that name of Savior. The Jesus that Peter says, you killed, but God raised to life. He says, this one is God. This one alone gives complete healing, but not only for the body, also for the soul. Notice, not only does He give a gospel explanation, but along with it, He issues a call to repent in verse 19. Why? So that your sins may be wiped out. You see, there is no greater joy than God's blessing of turning one from their wicked ways, as Peter says in verse 26, of wiping out our sins. And there's only one response that that can bring, walking and jumping and praising God. A transformed life before the eyes of a watching world. And notice, too, that the portion we read here, God makes it clear, the Holy Spirit makes it clear that the power of the Word is not only sufficient to heal the crippled man, but in chapter 4, verse 4, we read, But many who heard the message believed, and the number of men grew to about 5,000. there was church growth from around 3,000 on Pentecost, and we don't know how much after that this was, a couple of days, maybe a week, maybe up to two weeks, but there was church growth from 3,000 to 5,000, just like that. The gospel message and the power of the Holy Spirit could not be stopped. Yet this healing drew another crowd. Another crowd that was not quite as open, not quite as receptive as this first crowd. A crowd that indeed wanted to stop the preaching of the gospel. As the apostles proclaimed salvation in no other name, they do so in the second place in the face of hatred for the name. And we notice in chapter 4 there was powerful opposition. Powerful opposition, especially against these two men, these two fishermen, Peter and John. And that powerful opposition came upon them and seized them, we read. And they were seized by a group that included priests. And most likely this is talking about the powerful priestly leaders, not the priests who would come maybe once or twice in their lifetime, rotating, coming to Jerusalem to work in the temple, but we might say the top of the hierarchy of the priesthood, the powerful priestly leaders who were always in charge in Jerusalem. And along with the priest, we read there was the captain of the temple guard. And most likely he came with the temple guard itself. And we don't know how many men that might have been. But the temple guard, you may recall, is that which arrested Jesus. And as far as this captain, other than the Roman governor and other than the Roman army, he was the second most powerful person in Jerusalem under the high priest. So along with the priests, and along with the captain of the temple guard then, we read that there were the Sadducees. And the Sadducees, we know, were the wealthy, powerful, influential upper class. They were part of the Sanhedrin, the Jewish Supreme Court. Now these came, and they did not just quietly and gently and kindly come and pulled the apostles aside and said, you know, we'd like to talk to you a little bit. No. But they publicly, physically, and forcefully grabbed Peter and John with the intention of making a spectacle upon them and they threw them into jail for the night. But this is not it. This is not the extent of it. This powerful opposition included more. On the next day, Peter and John are confronted and questioned by rulers, we read. probably those who held positions of authority, maybe even some who were heads of the government. And there were elders, we read, who were the distinguished older men with influence. Along with them, there were the teachers of the law, the scribes, the experts in the law. And there was Annas, who was the former high priest, but when they were retired, they retained the dignity of high priest. And then the acting high priest, his son Caiaphas, along with John and Alexander and other members of the priestly family. Beloved, this was a powerful contingency. These were the most powerful men in the Jewish faith at that time in Jerusalem. And they all come together as one, together against the early Christians represented by Peter and John, and they come to instill fear and terror into them. And we can understand the reason for their anger. Their teaching was threatened. Or the fact that they were teachers was threatened. In chapter 4, verse 2, we read, They were greatly disturbed because the apostles were teaching the people and proclaiming in Jesus the resurrection of the dead. The apostles were teaching. That was the job of the rulers. So these unlearned fishermen, as they find them out to be in chapter 4 a little bit later on, These unlearned fishermen are invading the territory of these teachers. Their authority was threatened. But not only that, their teaching was, in Jesus, the resurrection of the dead. You see, the central point of the apostles' teaching was that God raised Jesus from the dead. And if that was true, that proved that Jesus was who he claimed to be, that he was the unique Son of God. And these rulers couldn't have this. They had rejected Jesus. They had gotten rid of Jesus. And they wanted to remove any thought and memory of the Christ. And we can't help but also notice their selfishness is displayed here in that they did not care at all about the healed man. They ought to have been thrilled for him, that he could walk. But even more than that, they ought to have been thrilled that he would no longer be a burden on society, that he would now be able to contribute to society. But they didn't care a thing about this man. They only cared about their own status, their own power. How did you do this? Whose power was it? You didn't ask our permission. You see, beloved, their hatred for Jesus, Their despising of his power. Their uncaring attitude toward this act of kindness shown to this crippled man was evidence of the very reason that Jesus Christ came. It was evidence of the very reason of his saving work, the crippling effect, the necessity of his saving work, the crippling effect of sin. But with their power, they tried to intimidate, They tried to scare the apostles straight by seizing them harshly, by treating them like criminals, throwing them into jail, by dragging them before a court-like assembly. And as verse 21 says, by giving further threats, whatever those threats may have been. Yet notice Peter, filled with the Holy Spirit. Filled with the Holy Spirit, Peter confidently looks these big guns in the eye and he proclaims the truth of their sin. He looks straight at them and points out their sin. He proclaims the truth of God nullifying their murderous work. You put him to death, but God raised him to life. You rejected him, but this Jesus is the capstone. He is the cornerstone of his church. He constantly proclaims the truth of the power of Jesus Christ. You know this man. You know that he couldn't walk. You see what has happened to him. And no dead person could have done this. Only the power of the living Christ. And he explains that the power of Jesus Christ to heal this man was a demonstration of what the power of the risen Christ does in the hearts of men. Beloved, if Jesus Christ did this, that means that those who put him to death failed. But Peter was not intimidated because in the third place of the exclusive claim of the name. Verse 12, salvation is found in no one else for there is no other name under heaven given to men by which we must be saved. Now if you think about it, that is the application of Peter's sermon. And what a beautiful, what a powerful application that is. And we notice there, the exclusive claim of the name includes his ability to save. And his ability to save, beloved, is seen in his identity. In chapter 3, verse 13, Peter called Jesus the servant of God. And that word servant there is the same word used in the Septuagint, the Greek translation of the Old Testament, which they had in their hands at that time. Which they read in Isaiah 52 and 53 of the suffering servant, The very same Word who was pierced for our transgressions, who was crushed for our iniquities, who, as Isaiah said, would see the light of life and be given a portion among the great. And therefore, Peter is clearly teaching that this Jesus, whom they put to death, but God raised to life, He is the Messiah promised in the Old Testament. He is the Messiah that they had been looking for. He is the Messiah whose task it would be, as the angel said, to save His people from their sins. And, beloved, the resurrection of this Jesus is proof that He has done that. It is proof that He was not defeated. But instead, He conquered Satan, sin, death, and the grave. And the beggar's healing was proof of the conquering Savior's power over the effects of sin. The exclusive claim of the name includes his ability to save, but also his necessity to save. Peter says, by which we must be saved. He doesn't say by which we can be saved. It may not seem like a big deal, but that leaves the possibility of one accomplishing salvation on their own. He doesn't say by which one may be saved, because that leaves the uncertainty of needing salvation. Maybe you need it, maybe you don't. But he says, by which we must be saved. Because of their sin, both audiences, they and we with them, are all guilty of crucifying the Lord of glory. As Paul says, there is none righteous, no, not one. All need salvation. All must be saved to have any hope. And it must be by Jesus. And the exclusive claim of his name also includes the fact that he was given to save. He was given by God, the text says, to men. Now in that simple phrase, I hope you hear the amazing grace of an offended God. One who is terribly offended by sin, your sin and mine. And I hope you hear there of the amazing grace of the offended God who did not start from scratch when sin entered the world. He didn't just wipe it all out and say, forget it, I'll start over. But He loved the very ones who hated Him. And He provided in His Son that which we could not provide for ourselves, that which we did not deserve, and He gave no other than Jesus. Answer 29 says, Again, salvation cannot be found in anyone else. It is futile to look for any salvation elsewhere. You see, nowhere else in time or space can or will anyone ever find another Savior. So many are looking, but it can't be done. It won't be done. And to look elsewhere is to deny either the reality of Jesus or to deny the sufficiency of Jesus. Do those who look for their salvation and security in saints, in themselves, or elsewhere, we could add in horoscopes, or in fortune tellers, or those kinds of things, or anywhere else, do they really believe in the only Savior Jesus? No. Although they boast of being His by their deeds, they deny the only Savior and deliverer Jesus. Either Jesus is not a perfect Savior, or those who in true faith accept the Savior have in Him all they need for their salvation. It cannot be both ways. Either Jesus is not it, or He is it all the way. You see, beloved, all other religions other than Christianity, true Christianity, fail. All other religions give absolutely no hope because they don't recognize the truth of verse 12. Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to men by which we must be saved. Not anyone else, not Jesus and me, not Jesus plus, only Jesus. And of course we know that the world rejects this because the world hates the name of the Savior. And the world mocks Christianity and the world wants to silence Christianity and tries to use their power and their intimidation and their influence to do so. But by faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, God's people have confidence of the truth and the power of the living Lord Jesus Christ on our side. And God's people are given the confidence to proclaim that only hope to a dying world because we understand, also included in the exclusiveness of that name, we understand His effectiveness to save. Only His. The healed man, of course, points to the perfect spiritual health that Jesus Christ brings. And again, as we mentioned a few moments ago, there's another demonstration at that time. In no time, through the means of the Word preached, the Holy Spirit grew the church to 5,000 in the early days of the early New Testament church. 5,000 of those who enjoyed salvation in no other name. And of course, now that number is countless. And beloved, when we think about salvation, when we think about that word all by itself, sometimes it may seem like sort of a vague term. A big term. What's all included? But very simply, we need to understand, we need to remember that it includes something objectively, what Jesus Christ has done for us. We are justified before the sight of God. And we know that that means that our sins are forgiven every last one. We know that that means that the wrath of God against our sin has been turned away. We know that that means that the curse of sin has been removed from us forever. And we know that that means that our God sees us as righteous for the sake of Jesus Christ. but there's also a subjective side to it. That which Jesus Christ is doing in us by the power of the Holy Spirit, we are being sanctified. And that means that sin's dominion is broken. No longer are we slaves to sin. And that we are being cleansed from the pollution and the power of sin. That means that we have consciences that accuse us of our sin, which is such a blessed tool for you and me. that God uses in our hearts and lives to keep us on His narrow path. And it also means by the influence of the Holy Spirit that we delight to serve and please God. Beloved, Peter proclaims salvation in no other name than the name of Jesus. And that also means then that in Jesus there is salvation guaranteed to those who look to Him in faith. Sometimes we sing, upon that cross of Jesus mine, I at times can see the very dying form of one who suffered there for me. And from my smitten heart with tears, two wonders I confess, the wonders of His glorious love and my unworthiness. You see, beloved, all by themselves, those things might not necessarily seem so wonderful, but when you put them together, My unworthiness and His glorious love. How wonderful it is. And we see those wonders here in this passage tonight. In verse 13, Peter says, beginning there, You handed him over to be killed, and you disowned him before Pilate, though he had decided to let him go. You disowned the Holy and Righteous One and asked that a murderer be released to you. You killed the author of life. Peter does a good job of showing them their unworthiness. But it's as if in the very next breath he points out the glorious love of God. He calls them again in verse 19 to repent, repent then and turn to God so that your sins may be wiped out that times of refreshing may come from the Lord. See, that's what's so wonderful. That's the message of salvation that God will forgive in Jesus Christ. In Him is complete healing from all the disastrous effects of sin. And there's only one response that we can make, only one response that is worthy of this, and that is walking and leaping and praising God. A changed life, boys and girls. A life that demonstrates thankfulness to God in all areas of our life. Again, we know that many deny this. We know that because of hatred for the name of Jesus, many say that there are many ways to be saved if we need salvation at all. Or that when it comes to Jesus, or the concept of Jesus, Jesus means something different to different people. So don't be so intolerant. Don't be so narrow-minded. Don't be so exclusive. How can you limit it to one man? But the message is clear. We need salvation from sin and death and eternal hell. And there is only one exclusively, given by God to men. who became sin for us, who died for us, who suffered eternal hell in our place, who conquered all of those things for those who believe. Beloved, there is only one true salvation which has been accomplished by our Lord Jesus Christ. And still today we know, we experience those, the many who hate and despise His name, who want nothing to do with Him, who want nothing more than to use their power to silence him. Yet still today, he continues to do the unexpected as he saves those who believe. You see, there is no power, not even the power of darkness that can stop the power of God. And every time one is brought to faith, beloved, there is no greater demonstration of the love and power of God than that. You see, salvation by the grace of God is no trivial matter it's no trivial matter but it is an amazing transformation from death to life just like the beggar received his saving love transforms our relationship with God from our hatred of God to our delight in God and his saving love transforms our life here on this earth in every way boys and girls it transforms how we speak it transforms our work It transforms our relationships. It even transforms our suffering, as we considered this morning. It was unmistakable that the healed beggar had been touched and transformed by the power of the only Savior. And may it be, beloved, as those who confess the Lord Jesus Christ, may our lives give unmistakable evidence of having heard the good news of salvation in no other name than the name of Jesus. And may our desire be that the world through us would hear the great Redeemer's praise, both now and for as long as our God gives us the breath of life. Amen. Let's pray. Father, we do bow before you, filled with awe and wonder, as we are reminded again of our unworthiness. and of your wondrous love. Heavenly Father, even as we have prayed earlier, please, day by day, take away from us the arrogance and pride of sin that wants to fill our lives. Thinking that we are something in your sight, in and of ourselves. Thinking that there is something worthy about us in and of ourselves. Help us to focus only on our worthy Savior and Lord Jesus Christ. We praise Your most holy name that You gave us one Savior. Indeed, Father, may it not be that we would question why aren't there many saviors, but that we would rejoice that You bothered to give us even one. And we thank You for giving us the one alone who is effective to save. And we pray, Father, that Your Spirit would continue to work powerfully and effectively, maybe even in someone's heart here tonight, someone who has never known you by faith, someone who has never given their heart and life to you, that even at this time you would work in them powerfully and transform them through the only name of Jesus. We praise your name for such a great salvation. In his name alone we pray. Amen.