2116AFC041621 – His name alone
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Acts 3:16 – 16 And by faith in his name, his name itself has made this man strong, whom you see and know; and the faith that is through Jesus has given him this perfect health in the presence of all of you.
Luke 24:45-49 – 45 Then he opened their minds to understand the scriptures, 46 and he said to them, “Thus it is written, that the Messiah is to suffer and to rise from the dead on the third day, 47 and that repentance and forgiveness of sins is to be proclaimed in his name to all nations, beginning from Jerusalem. 48 You are witnesses of these things. 49 And see, I am sending upon you what my Father promised; so stay here in the city until you have been clothed* with power from on high.”
* enduo – to endue, to endow, to invest as meaning to provide with clothing such as a uniform, to be clothed in transformative change.
Aloha nui loa, ʻŌmea! Grace and Peace to each of you from God our Father and our Lord, Jesus the Christ, in the Power of the Holy Spirit. It is based on the salutations the Apostle Paul uses in nearly a dozen of his epistles – for example 1 Timothy 1:2b – Grace, mercy, and peace from God the Father and Christ Jesus our Lord. A similar format can be seen in 2 Peter 1:2-4 – 2 May grace and peace be yours in abundance in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord. 3 His divine power has given us everything needed for life and godliness, through the knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness. 4 Thus he has given us, through these things, his precious and very great promises, so that through them you may escape from the corruption that is in the world because of lust, and may become participants of the divine nature. In the name of Jesus we find Faith, Grace, Peace, and Mercy. Truthfully the Psalmist’s words which brought delight to Israel will also ring true for us today: Psalm 148:13 – 13 Let them praise the name of the Lord, for his name alone is exalted; his glory is above earth and heaven.
We know that hearing and honoring the name of Jesus is an essential component of Christian worship. In Philippians 2:9-11 we read – 9 Therefore God also highly exalted him and gave him the name that is above every name, 10 so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bend, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, 11 and every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. Very few Christians, Catholic or non-Catholic – know that we can and should make a slight bow of our head when Jesus’ name is spoken. (General Instruction of the Roman Missal §275). It is a superb way to “keep one’s head in attendance” during worship whether public or private. In our opening Key Verse for today, we see that it is by faith in his name, his name itself that a man was healed. I chose this particular verse because for some reason it was omitted from the Sunday reading for the Third Sunday of Easter. Peter tells the astonished crowd around him Jesus’ name itself has made this man strong, whom you see and know. Everybody new this guy! This event is recounted in Acts 3 and the passage says that everyone recognized him as the man who was carried daily to the Beautiful Gate at the Temple where he could beg for alms. The city of Jerusalem was already “all shook up” because of what had happened, the rumors that were flying around, and the extraordinary visit to the Apostles by the Holy Spirit. When this well-known beggar was seen leaping and dancing and rejoicing in the Spirit inside the Temple, the news spread quickly. One thing that is not mentioned, but is very important, is that this man could not enter the Temple because he was lame – he was unclean, un-whole. Now, because he is whole, he entered the temple with them, walking and leaping and praising God. All of that by faith in his name. His name alone is exquisitely elegant, the Only Name worthy of Highest Praise.
Woe to those who dishonor that Holy Name! Woe to those who sin against others in that name! Woe to those who speak that name in a curse!! Woe to those who know that Name and are faithless, betrayers, or usurpers!
Immediately after healing this well-known man, Peter goes to Solomon’s Portico in the Temple and unleashes an amazing sermon. Solomon’s Portico was a double-colonnaded porch along the east side of the Temple near the Court of the Gentiles at Solomon’s Portico. Jesus taught there (See John 10:23), and it was a common gathering place for people to come and discuss the Scriptures. The Apostles continued that Tradition. They got in trouble for that, too, and were called in by the Jewish authorities and ordered never to speak or teach in the name of Jesus (See Acts 4:18). So, guess what the Apostles did. They kept right on preaching and teaching in His Name alone. It was a powerful fulfillment of Jesus’ promise to them in Acts 1:8 – 8 But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.” Later on we read in Acts 5:12 – 12 Now many signs and wonders were done among the people through the apostles. And they were all together in Solomon’s Portico.
In Acts 5:12-16, we are told that the actions of the Apostles were so marvelous that people from all around Jerusalem and the surrounding villages brought people into the city and laid them on cots so that if only just Peter’s shadow fell over them, they might be healed in the name of Jesus. The Apostles were persecuted, beaten, thrown in jail and escaped miraculously with the assistance of an angel. The High Priest and other elevated officials wanted to kill them, but instead found them teaching outside the Temple again! Preaching and teaching in His Name Alone! When the High Council had them brought in for questioning, Peter and the other Apostles answered “We must obey God rather than any human authority. 30 The God of our ancestors raised up Jesus, whom you had killed by hanging him on a tree. 31 God exalted him at his right hand as Leader and Savior that he might give repentance to Israel and forgiveness of sins. 32 And we are witnesses to these things, and so is the Holy Spirit whom God has given to those who obey him.” (See Acts 5:29-32)
In those weeks after the Resurrection and Pentecost, and in that very moment and place in Jerusalem, the promise in Acts 1:8 was made manifest. In His Name Alone, the Church stood and faced the future in the city of Jerusalem – just as Jesus had prophesied: 45 Then he opened their minds to understand the scriptures, 46 and he said to them, “Thus it is written, that the Messiah is to suffer and to rise from the dead on the third day, 47 and that repentance and forgiveness of sins is to be proclaimed in his name to all nations, beginning from Jerusalem. 48 You are witnesses of these things. 49 And see, I am sending upon you what my Father promised; so stay here in the city until you have been clothed with power from on high.”
Beginning with Abraham and Melchizedek and up to this very day, Jerusalem has been the center of God’s plans, revelations, and actions. It was the destination of Christ resolutely walking to Calvary. It was the center of the Early Church, the point of origin for the Church’s Mission to preach the Gospel to all nations, and for these earliest believers “to the ends of the earth” meant the Roman Empire. It was their mission to tell the World, “We know him, and we know he lives. We’ve heard his voice, we’ve seen his scars, we have been witnesses to all this.” You will remember this: We have been told (↔ Music Link). We have been told! We know! We believe in His Name Alone! Now, because we believe, we also know him – but there are those who know but do not believe. You might remember this passage seen in these pages several times: 1 John 2:5-6 – 4 Whoever says, “I have come to know him,” but does not obey his commandments, is a liar, and in such a person the truth does not exist; 5 but whoever obeys his word, truly in this person the love of God has reached perfection. By this we may be sure that we are in him: 6 whoever says, “I abide in him,” ought to walk just as he walked.
Belovéd, In His Name Alone we have the joyous privilege of knowing and living in the Wonderful Grace of Jesus. (↔ Music Link) We have heard. We have been told. How shall we walk? How must we be accountable? Matthew 11:15 – 15 He who has ears to hear, let him hear! English Standard Version (ESV) The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Text Edition: 2016. Copyright © 2001. Used with permission) All that we have comes to us All Done In His Name. (↔ Music Link) Do you ever make a Daily Offering? What would you give Jesus if you could give it to him in His Name Alone? Would you say to him, “Good morning Lord, and thank you for this day. Let’s go out and help the World together side-by-side all the way. Jesus, All That I Am (↔ Music Link) I offer now to you.”? Peter told the man he healed, “I have no silver or gold, but what I have I give you; in the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, stand up and walk.” (See Acts 3:6) What could I, what could you, what could we do in His Name Alone if only we believed, and acted on that faith? In His Name Alone, we can be made clean, made whole, and rejoice in the courts of the Lord.
Whatever, whenever, wherever, whoever, however, if ever, forever —
at your service, Belovéd!
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Unless otherwise indicated, all scripture passages are from the New Revised Standard Version Catholic Edition (NRSVCE) New Revised Standard Version Bible: Catholic Edition, copyright © 1989, 1993 the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Aloha Friday Messages by Charles O. Todd, III is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License
