TOPIC : POWER IN THE NAME OF JESUS

Text:  Acts 4:1-20

1. And as they spake unto the people, the priests, and the captain of the temple, and the Sadducees, came upon them,

2. Being grieved that they taught the people, and preached through Jesus the resurrection from the dead.

3. And they laid hands on them, and put them in hold unto the next day; for it was now eventide.

4. Howbeit many of them which heard the word believed; and the number of the men was about five thousand.

5. And it came to pass on the morrow, that their rulers, and elders, and scribes,

6. And Annas the high priest, and Caiaphas, and John, and Alexander, and as many as were of the kindred of the high priest, were gathered together at Jerusalem.

7. And when they had set them in the midst, they asked, By what power, or by what name, have ye done this?

8. Then Peter, filled with the Holy Ghost, said unto them, Ye rulers of the people, and elders of Israel,

9. If we this day be examined of the good deed done to the impotent man, by what means he is made whole;

10. Be it known unto you all, and to all the people of Israel, that by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom ye crucified, whom God raised from the dead, even by him doth this man stand here before you whole.

11. This is the stone which was set at nought of you builders, which is become the head of the corner.

12. Neither is there salvation in any other; for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved.

13. Now when they saw the boldness of Peter and John, and perceived that they were unlearned and ignorant men, they marvelled; and they took knowledge of them, that they had been with Jesus.

14. And beholding the man which was healed standing with them, they could say nothing against it.

15. But when they had commanded them to go aside out of the council, they conferred among themselves,

16. Saying, What shall we do to these men? for that indeed a notable miracle hath been done by them is manifest to all them that dwell in Jerusalem; and we cannot deny it.

17. But that it spread no further among the people, let us straitly threaten them, that they speak henceforth to no man in this name.

18. And they called them, and commanded them not to speak at all nor teach in the name of Jesus.

19. But Peter and John answered and said unto them, Whether it be right in the sight of God to hearken unto you more than unto God, judge ye.

20. For we cannot but speak the things which we have seen and heard.

KEY VERSE: Acts 4:10

“Be it known unto you all, and to all the people of Israel, that by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom ye crucified, whom God raised from the dead, even by him doth this man stand here before you whole.”.

MESSAGE

A missionary was driving through a lonely desert road when he was asked for a lift by a hitchhiker. No sooner had he sat down than he pulled a gun and ordered the man of God to get down. The missionary obeyed and the man drove away in the car. Stranded, the missionary remembered the name of Jesus, and started to shout after him – “you cannot do this to me in the name of Jesus”, “you cannot take away the car in the name of Jesus”. The robber kept going and the man of God kept saying the same thing. Suddenly, the car stopped and the man reversed, came back to the man of God and handed over his car to him, tapped him, at the back and said “buddy, I love you”.

The disciples of Jesus were interrogated by the Jewish authorities as to the source of the power by which the lame man was made whole in Acts Chapter three. The apostles told them that it was by the name of Jesus Christ whom they crucified and whom God raised from the dead. They affirmed the truth that there is no other name by which anyone can be saved except the name of Jesus Christ.

Though they were “unlearned and ignorant men” as the Jews thought, they took notice of them when they saw their boldness that they had been with Jesus. And seeing they could not deny that a notable miracle had been performed by these apostles, all they could do was to threaten them and let them go.

God has highly exalted the Lord Jesus Christ and has given Him a name that is above every name (Philippians 2:9). In that name is salvation and peace, healing, protection, deliverance, prosperity and other blessings. In the name of Jesus, we conquer in all battles of life. And through that same name, we shall get to heaven.

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY:
Exalt, use and conquer through the mighty name of Jesus Christ.

THE BIBLE IN ONE YEAR:
Daniel 11 – 12

Daily Manna is the daily devotional of the Deeper Christian Life Bible Ministry (DCLM). It is an extraction of God’s Word designed to draw the sincere seeker closer to God on a daily basis through an insightful exposition and analysis of God’s Word.