Easter 3, 2012
Acts 4:8-12
“Only one road to Heaven.”
Grace, mercy, and peace be to you from God our Father and from our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Amen.
I’ve heard it said that all roads, meaning all religions, lead to heaven or that everyone believes in the same god…just by different names. As I mention some names this morning…I’d like to ask you what you think of when you hear their names. You may not know all of them. Joseph Smith (Mormonism), the Prophet Muhammed (Islam), Siddhartha Gautama (Buddhism), Charles T. Russell (Jehovah’s Witnesses), Mary Baker Eddy (Christian Science), L. Ron Hubbard (Scientology), and Rabbi Menachem Mendel Schneerson (Hasidi Jew). What do you think of when I say their names? What do they all have in common? They are all leaders of false religions and they are all dead. Whether they like it or not…their names will always be associated with the false religions they started.
Names are important…especially in Scripture. In Scripture names are descriptive…they tell us about the person who bears the name; their characteristics or faith. Adam (means earth or mud), Eve (mother of life), Jacob (heel grabber), Esau (hairy), Joel (Yahweh is Lord), and the most important name in all of Scripture: Jesus, the name of the only Savior of the world. In the Old Testament, God promised to make his name dwell in Jerusalem (Deut 12:5, 11, etc.), where the temple was built for his name (1 Ki 8:16–20, etc.). But now God’s name is forever bound to the person of Jesus Christ, in whom the Godhead dwells (Col 2:9), and whose body is the new temple (John 2:21).
Joseph Smith, Muhammed, Siddhartha Gautama, Charles T. Russell, Mary Baker Eddy, L. Ron Hubbard, Rabbi Schneerson…were all looking for salvation…but rejected Jesus. Some use the name Jesus…but do not believe in the same Jesus as found in Holy Scripture; they reject that Jesus is God and the 2nd person of the Holy Trinity. Others believe him to be a wise man or prophet. Regardless…they reject Jesus.
We live in a world that also rejects Jesus. Many call out to Allah for help. Others seek release from this world through meditation. Many turn to alcohol or drugs to forget their problems…a quick “solution” that solves nothing. There is no salvation in Allah. There is no salvation through Budweiser or Miller. There is no salvation through ourselves or our own reason or work. All false religions teach salvation through self; works righteousness. While the world would like you to believe that there are many roads to salvation or many names that God is called to lead to salvation…there is only one. There is only one “road” to salvation. There is only one name that leads to salvation. It is Jesus.
Listen to our text from Acts, especially the claim Peter makes about the name Jesus: “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 other name under heaven given to men by which we must be saved.” (Acts 4:8-12)
The name of Jesus is the only source of salvation. The angel commanded Joseph to call Mary’s son Jesus because “he will save his people from their sins” (Matt 1:21). The name Jesus (from the Old Testament Joshua) means “the Lord saves.” Though others have borne the name Jesus or Joshua, Jesus Christ is the only one to live up to the name, since he alone is the Lord, and he alone has saved his people from their sins. Paul says that he was determined to know only Jesus Christ crucified (1 Cor 2:2); you do not know the name of Jesus unless you know that he was crucified for you and for all. Because of his Easter victory over death and the grave, he is proclaimed as Lord. His is the name that is above every other name, and at the name of Jesus every knee shall bow (Phil 2:9–10).
The name of Jesus brings healing and life by the power of God. In Acts 3, the crippled man is healed of his bodily affliction by the name of Jesus, and this leads to the discussion in Acts 4 of how all people are set free from spiritual afflictions and given eternal life through the same name: Jesus.
We are people in dire need of salvation and healing. We suffer from sickness and disease that ravage the body. We suffer from anxiety, depression, and sicknesses that ravage our minds. There is not one of us that does not suffer…for all of us are sinners…all of us suffer from the disease of sin…a disease that brings all other sufferings upon us. Jesus, our Savior, is the only cure from sin.
So where and how do you get the cure for sin….where do you get Jesus? Here in this place. Whether you were brought as an infant or young child or as a teen or adult…the name of Jesus was placed on you. The Pastor said, “Receive the sign of the holy cross both upon your forehead and upon your heart to mark you as one redeemed by Christ the crucified.” At the font the Pastor poured water on your head and said “I baptize you in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.” My dear brothers and sisters in Christ…you have been baptized into Christ Jesus and therefore baptized into His death and resurrection. Through Jesus you have been healed.
This does not mean you will go on to live a life free from death and earthly disease…but it means salvation in heaven itself for all eternity where there will be no sin…no suffering…no sickness or disease.
In our society, many people drop names…sometimes to get out of a ticket, sometimes to get a job, and often to impress others. While it might not help often…we do it…because sometimes dropping names works. A connection to the right name does at times make a difference in how well you do in life. “It’s not who you are…but who you know.” This is most true of the name of Jesus. We pray in Jesus name, we are baptized into Jesus, we share the love of Jesus with others. We treasure the name Jesus above all others, for it is the only name under heaven by which we are saved. Amen.
Now may the peace of God which passes all human understanding keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus our Lord and Savior. Amen.
Recent Comments