Sermon Notes
Acts 4
No Other Name
Pastor Tom Yarbrough
The Power of the name of Jesus:
- Displayed through healing, signs, and wonders (V. 10)
- Recognized in the dramatic transformation of the apostles (v. 13)
- Silences religious opposition (v. 14)
- Catalyzed the rapid growth of the early church (v. 4)
- Offers the only way of salvation (v. 12)
“The revelation of God in Christ…necessarily entails the formation of a people who bear witness to God’s name.”
C. Kavin Rowe
The Challenge of the name of Jesus:
- Confronts empty religion
- Relativizes human authority
- Transcends our differences and unites us as His followers
“The real government of the universe, the final reality which in the end confronts every human being, is the crucified and risen Jesus.”
Lesslie Newbigin, The Gospel in a Pluralist Society“If you care about diversity, don’t dismiss Christianity: it is the most diverse, multiethnic, and multicultural movement in all of history.”
Rebecca McLaughlin, Confronting Christianity
The Responses to the name of Jesus:
- Willful unbelief
- The illusion of neutrality
- Repentance and submission
- Worship, praise, and glory
“God could quite justly have abandoned us to our fate. He could have left us alone to reap the fruit of our wrongdoing and to perish in our sins. It is what we deserved. But he did not. Because he loved us, he came after us in Christ. He pursued us even to the desolate anguish of the cross, where he bore our sins, guilt, judgement and death. It takes a hard and stony heart to remain unmoved by love like that.”
John Stott, The Cross of Christ
“For many believers the Christian life is now the good life: It simply ‘goes better with Jesus’ even if there is no God and no Resurrection. The result is a series of adaptations of the Christian faith to modern man that are a capitulation with few rivals in two thousand years.”
Os Guinness, The Call
“Referring to the name of Jesus so often is a way of saying, ‘This person is not to be dealt with in private. He is not to be hidden, a hidden essence in your heart or in your closet. He is to be public, globally known, acknowledged as a person with an identity that people talk to and people talk about – that people praise and sing about.’ The emphasis on his name goes with an emphasis on his public, outward, globally known claim on people’s attention.” – John Piper
Questions to consider:
- What is my personal response to the name of Jesus?
- What is most clear about me to the watching world?
- What is keeping me from Spirit-filled boldness in the name of Jesus?
“We proclaim Christ crucified, and we take every opportunity to do so. This is what it means to offer our post-Christian world authentic and bold Christian truth.”
Rosaria Butterfield
“The Gospel is divisive, it’s inclusive; it’s comforting, it’s challenging; it’s complex, it’s simple; it’s broad, it’s personal; it’s life-changing, it’s eternity-altering; it’s the Best News for those who receive it, it’s the Worst News for those who reject it.”
Lee Strobel
“If Christ is not risen, nothing else matters. And if Christ is risen, nothing else matters.”
Jaroslav Pelikan
“Great names come and go, but the name of Jesus remains. The devil still hates it, the world still opposes it, but God still blesses it and we can still claim it! ‘In the name of Jesus’ is the key that unlocks the door of prayer and the treasury of God’s grace. It’s the weapon that defeats the enemy and the motivation that compels our sacrifice and service. It’s the name that causes our hearts to rejoice and our lips to sing His praise.”
Warren W. Wiersbe, The Names of Jesus
Discussion Questions
- Read the passage together: Before today’s sermon, what did you already know or believe about this passage? Did anything in your understanding shift after hearing the message?
- Challenge and Reflection: Was there a part of today’s message that was particularly challenging or surprising for you? Why?
- Unpacking the Message: Pick a quote from today’s sermon notes. Discuss what it means to you.
- Personal Impact: What’s one specific way you feel called to change or grow after hearing this message?
- Practical Application: What’s one step you can take this week to put today’s message into practice?
- Connecting Scripture: Are there other Bible passages or stories this message reminds you of? How do they expand or confirm this teaching?
- Gratitude: What aspect of God’s character stood out to you in today’s message? How does it inspire praise or gratitude?
- Pray the Scripture: After hearing the message, is there a specific area where you feel led to pray? How can we pray for one another in light of today’s teaching?
Songs, Readings & Prayer
Songs:
“Blessed Be Your Name“ by Beth Redman and Matt Redman
“Christ is Risen, He is Risen Indeed“ by Keith and Kristyn Getty and Ed Cash, Arr. by Paul Campbell
“Holy Spirit, Living Breath of God“ by Keith Getty and Stuart Townend
“All Hail The Power Of Jesus Name“ by Oliver Holden, Edward Perronet, and John Rippon
“Doxology” by Thomas Ken and Louis Bourgeois
All songs are used with permission. CCLI License no. 2003690
Looking for our Hymns of the Week or resources to worship anytime? We’ve curated a playlist of hymns TVC Worship has led over the years on our YouTube Channel!
Call To Worship: Psalm 100
All: Shout for joy to the LORD, all the earth.
Worship the LORD with gladness;
Come before Him with joyful songs.
Know that the LORD is God.
It is He who made us, and we are His;
We are His people, the sheep of His pasture.
Enter His gates with thanksgiving and His courts with praise;
Give thanks to Him and praise His name.
For the LORD is good and His love endures forever;
His faithfulness continues through all generations.
Classic Prayer: Augustine, 354-430
Look upon us, O Lord, and let all the darkness of our souls vanish before the beams of Thy brightness. Fill us with holy love, and open to us the treasures of Thy wisdom. We seek Thy face, turn Thy face unto us and show us Thy glory. Then shall our longing be satisfied, and our peace shall be perfect.
Confession of Faith: New City Catechism
Part 1, God, Creation & Fall, Law; Q. 3-5
LEADER: How many persons are there in God?
PEOPLE: There are three persons in the one true and living God: the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. They are the same in substance, equal in power and glory.
LEADER: How and why did God create us?
PEOPLE: God created us male and female in His own image to know Him, love Him, live with Him, and glorify Him. And it is right that we who were created by God should live to His glory.
LEADER: What else did God create?
PEOPLE: God created all things by His powerful Word, and all His creation was very good; everything flourished under His loving rule.
TVC Prayer Ministry
TVC Ministry: College Ministry, led by Jeremy Martin
Vocation: Creatives, Writers, Artists, Designers
TVC Mission Highlight: Inglewood Elementary School
Local Church: Rolling Hills Community Church, Senior Pastor & Founder, Jeff Simmons
Praying for the Persecuted Church: Mozambique
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