WEBVTT 00:00:09.940 --> 00:00:12.699 Hey everyone, this is Josh from Encounter Church 00:00:12.699 --> 00:00:15.279 Henley and thanks so much for tuning into our 00:00:15.279 --> 00:00:19.000 podcast. Our prayer is that through this podcast, 00:00:19.019 --> 00:00:20.879 you can have an encounter with Jesus that will 00:00:20.879 --> 00:00:24.379 change your life. And now, get ready for an inspiring 00:00:24.379 --> 00:00:29.920 message from our preaching team. Our Bible reading 00:00:29.920 --> 00:00:33.649 today is from Acts 3. Peter and John went to 00:00:33.649 --> 00:00:36.229 the temple one afternoon to take part in the 00:00:36.229 --> 00:00:38.890 three o 'clock prayer service. As they approached 00:00:38.890 --> 00:00:42.109 the temple, a man lame from birth was being carried 00:00:42.109 --> 00:00:45.350 in. Each day he was put beside the temple gate, 00:00:45.609 --> 00:00:48.109 the one called the beautiful gate, so he could 00:00:48.109 --> 00:00:52.030 beg from the people going into the temple. When 00:00:52.030 --> 00:00:54.729 he saw Peter and John about to enter, he asked 00:00:54.729 --> 00:00:57.549 them for some money. Peter and John looked at 00:00:57.549 --> 00:01:01.460 him intently, and Peter said, look at us. The 00:01:01.460 --> 00:01:04.400 lame man looked at them eagerly, expecting some 00:01:04.400 --> 00:01:08.040 money. But Peter said, I don't have any silver 00:01:08.040 --> 00:01:10.780 or gold for you, but I'll give you what I have. 00:01:11.099 --> 00:01:13.700 In the name of Jesus Christ the Nazarene, get 00:01:13.700 --> 00:01:17.560 up and walk. Then Peter took the lame man by 00:01:17.560 --> 00:01:20.480 the right hand and helped him up. And as he did, 00:01:20.599 --> 00:01:23.019 the man's feet and ankles were instantly healed 00:01:23.019 --> 00:01:26.019 and strengthened. He jumped up, stood on his 00:01:26.019 --> 00:01:29.780 feet and began to walk. Then, walking, leaving, 00:01:29.959 --> 00:01:32.200 and praising God, He went into the temple with 00:01:32.200 --> 00:01:35.359 them. All the people saw Him work, walking, and 00:01:35.359 --> 00:01:39.079 heard Him praising God. When they realized He 00:01:39.079 --> 00:01:41.400 was the lame beggar they had seen so often at 00:01:41.400 --> 00:01:43.700 the beautiful gate, they were absolutely astounded. 00:01:44.159 --> 00:01:46.599 They all rushed out in amazement to Solomon's 00:01:46.599 --> 00:01:49.239 colonnade, where the men was holding tightly 00:01:49.239 --> 00:01:52.120 to Peter and John. This is the word of the Lord. 00:02:01.329 --> 00:02:05.870 Thank you, Charlie. Welcome to Church Today. 00:02:06.010 --> 00:02:08.969 If you don't know me, my name is Tim. It's my 00:02:08.969 --> 00:02:12.550 privilege to bring the word to you today. Earlier 00:02:12.550 --> 00:02:15.370 in the year, Ash and the kids and I, we went 00:02:15.370 --> 00:02:18.469 on a little family holiday to Vietnam to see 00:02:18.469 --> 00:02:21.889 Ash's family. They work in the Australian Embassy 00:02:21.889 --> 00:02:25.310 in Vietnam. And Dan, Ash's dad, while we were 00:02:25.310 --> 00:02:28.469 there, told us a story of being pulled over by 00:02:28.469 --> 00:02:32.340 the police. The police one of the three most 00:02:32.340 --> 00:02:35.400 corrupt institutions in Vietnam. Can anyone guess 00:02:35.400 --> 00:02:43.280 what the other two are? Teachers and doctors. 00:02:47.280 --> 00:02:51.020 They're three professions we rely pretty heavily 00:02:51.020 --> 00:02:54.560 on to not be corrupt in Australia. And police 00:02:54.560 --> 00:02:57.400 pull people over all the time, not really to 00:02:57.400 --> 00:02:59.280 enforce the road rules because arguably they 00:02:59.280 --> 00:03:03.599 don't exist. but to extort bribes because that's 00:03:03.599 --> 00:03:07.280 how they earn a living. And Dan was pulled over 00:03:07.280 --> 00:03:09.960 for speeding. He was legitimately on his little 00:03:09.960 --> 00:03:16.180 motorbike, speeding. And the police officer repeatedly 00:03:16.180 --> 00:03:19.240 tried to extort him for money, but because he 00:03:19.240 --> 00:03:21.719 works in the embassy and he has a diplomatic 00:03:21.719 --> 00:03:24.919 card, he just kind of held it up in the face 00:03:24.919 --> 00:03:28.860 of the officer and said, you can't find me. I 00:03:28.860 --> 00:03:32.060 don't owe you any money. go take it up with the 00:03:32.060 --> 00:03:34.740 Australian Embassy. And the police officer, of 00:03:34.740 --> 00:03:37.199 course, did not take it up with the Australian 00:03:37.199 --> 00:03:39.960 Embassy and eventually left, even though Dan 00:03:39.960 --> 00:03:44.879 was in the wrong and definitely speeding. So 00:03:44.879 --> 00:03:46.979 what I learned from this is that diplomatic immunity 00:03:46.979 --> 00:03:50.039 is exactly like the Princess Diaries after all. 00:03:51.099 --> 00:03:53.039 You can thank growing up with Steph for that 00:03:53.039 --> 00:03:57.969 reference. Diplomatic immunity. exist to protect 00:03:57.969 --> 00:04:01.409 representatives of one country from the animosity 00:04:01.409 --> 00:04:03.469 they may face from the public of the country 00:04:03.469 --> 00:04:05.490 that they're in. And it works because if you 00:04:05.490 --> 00:04:08.030 have a diplomat in your country and you treat 00:04:08.030 --> 00:04:10.509 them poorly, your diplomat in their country will 00:04:10.509 --> 00:04:14.789 probably be treated poorly in return. And as 00:04:14.789 --> 00:04:16.949 a diplomat, you can't really be prosecuted under 00:04:16.949 --> 00:04:19.029 the laws of another nation unless your nation 00:04:19.029 --> 00:04:22.930 just thinks that you've been very bad and they 00:04:22.930 --> 00:04:25.769 want to waive your immunity. What we see here 00:04:25.769 --> 00:04:30.089 is an outworking of authority. As a diplomat, 00:04:30.170 --> 00:04:33.050 you speak and you act on behalf of another country. 00:04:33.569 --> 00:04:36.910 You actually speak and act in the authority of 00:04:36.910 --> 00:04:40.350 your country. And you speak and act under the 00:04:40.350 --> 00:04:44.089 authority of your country. And Dan, using his 00:04:44.089 --> 00:04:47.110 diplomatic card, said to a lowly police officer 00:04:47.110 --> 00:04:48.850 in Vietnam, you don't actually have authority 00:04:48.850 --> 00:04:52.430 to fine me or... Whatever for breaking the road 00:04:52.430 --> 00:04:54.230 rules in Vietnam. You should take it up with 00:04:54.230 --> 00:04:59.230 Australia Now we might not be diplomats who can 00:04:59.230 --> 00:05:01.990 get out of a speeding fine, but all of us have 00:05:01.990 --> 00:05:06.910 a measure of authority Might be very small or 00:05:06.910 --> 00:05:09.069 it might actually be quite large authority is 00:05:09.069 --> 00:05:13.610 simply the power to control You might have some 00:05:13.610 --> 00:05:16.610 authority at work. You can make big decisions 00:05:16.610 --> 00:05:20.509 and big changes and you decide what the staff 00:05:20.639 --> 00:05:24.079 the report you do. You might have authority at 00:05:24.079 --> 00:05:27.339 school. You can decide what subjects you want 00:05:27.339 --> 00:05:32.939 to take. Maybe as you get older, but do you have 00:05:32.939 --> 00:05:34.959 a measure of control over what you do at lunchtime? 00:05:35.800 --> 00:05:40.000 You might have some measure of authority over 00:05:40.000 --> 00:05:44.620 what you eat. You have the power to control how 00:05:44.620 --> 00:05:50.899 many tubs of ice cream you eat per week. You 00:05:50.899 --> 00:05:53.819 might have authority at home, how the living 00:05:53.819 --> 00:05:57.019 room looks, how many extracurricular sports your 00:05:57.019 --> 00:06:04.339 kid's gonna do, whether or not to get a dog if 00:06:04.339 --> 00:06:07.759 your family wants to get a dog. See, we all have 00:06:07.759 --> 00:06:11.199 some measure of authority and we have somewhat 00:06:11.199 --> 00:06:13.839 of a good sense of where that begins and where 00:06:13.839 --> 00:06:17.779 that ends. But I don't think we feel that so 00:06:17.779 --> 00:06:22.850 much in our faith. We're not so sure what authority 00:06:22.850 --> 00:06:25.209 we have and where it ends and where it begins 00:06:25.209 --> 00:06:28.350 and what it even looks like and This is so broad 00:06:28.350 --> 00:06:30.810 that we could probably do a whole series on authority 00:06:30.810 --> 00:06:33.750 as followers of Jesus on our authority But because 00:06:33.750 --> 00:06:37.629 we have more authority and power to control and 00:06:37.629 --> 00:06:39.350 therefore more responsibility for how we live 00:06:39.350 --> 00:06:43.610 out of faith and maybe we think we do But our 00:06:43.610 --> 00:06:46.350 passage today it speaks about just one element 00:06:46.350 --> 00:06:50.420 of authority What power is there in the name 00:06:50.420 --> 00:06:54.439 of Jesus? And why do Christians pray for marriages 00:06:54.439 --> 00:06:58.839 and meals and mothers in it? See, our text today 00:06:58.839 --> 00:07:02.100 is directly after Pentecost. Pentecost is in 00:07:02.100 --> 00:07:04.519 Acts 2, the Spirit's poured out on the whole 00:07:04.519 --> 00:07:08.199 church. And the gift and the power that Jesus 00:07:08.199 --> 00:07:11.579 promised is given to the people of God. And immediately 00:07:11.579 --> 00:07:15.019 we are seeing and shown in this passage an example 00:07:15.019 --> 00:07:17.279 of the authority and power of Jesus at work. 00:07:18.180 --> 00:07:20.339 Peter and John are going up to the temple for 00:07:20.339 --> 00:07:23.980 the 3pm prayer service, which I guess means that 00:07:23.980 --> 00:07:27.220 3pm service is the most biblical of service times. 00:07:28.959 --> 00:07:32.839 Jesus also died at 3pm. I don't know what to 00:07:32.839 --> 00:07:35.740 say like it's in the Bible, just read it. 3pm, 00:07:36.079 --> 00:07:41.560 most holiest prayer service time. That's right. 00:07:42.589 --> 00:07:45.949 And a man who's being lame from birth is being 00:07:45.949 --> 00:07:47.930 taken up to the prayer service. Now, because 00:07:47.930 --> 00:07:50.329 he's of his disability, he's actually not able 00:07:50.329 --> 00:07:53.329 to go inside and participate in the service. 00:07:53.769 --> 00:07:55.730 But by being close to the door, he can hear and 00:07:55.730 --> 00:07:59.350 maybe see what's going on. This man is actually 00:07:59.350 --> 00:08:02.910 excluded from community and worship. And he sees 00:08:02.910 --> 00:08:05.370 Peter and John going into the service and he 00:08:05.370 --> 00:08:08.500 sees an opportunity for some cash. See if you're 00:08:08.500 --> 00:08:11.399 lame you could not work so you couldn't earn 00:08:11.399 --> 00:08:13.899 money so you actually relied on the charity of 00:08:13.899 --> 00:08:17.959 others to live you had to beg for money and so 00:08:17.959 --> 00:08:20.079 he asked Peter and John for money and he must 00:08:20.079 --> 00:08:22.879 have asked with his head bowed down or you know 00:08:22.879 --> 00:08:25.819 either in some kind of out of shame or some kind 00:08:25.819 --> 00:08:28.199 of like really begging because Peter looks at 00:08:28.199 --> 00:08:32.299 him and asks him to look at them. It's a bit 00:08:32.299 --> 00:08:34.259 of a there's a bit of a Kath and Kim look at 00:08:34.259 --> 00:08:39.809 me you know. thing going on here. This man looks 00:08:39.809 --> 00:08:43.629 at him and he's expecting money, but Peter and 00:08:43.629 --> 00:08:46.509 John don't give him money. See, money is just 00:08:46.509 --> 00:08:49.289 a band -aid to this lame man. Money is survival. 00:08:49.389 --> 00:08:53.490 Money is food for another day. Money is his most 00:08:53.490 --> 00:08:56.269 immediate need. But Peter doesn't give him his 00:08:56.269 --> 00:08:59.409 most immediate need. In fact, he says, I don't 00:08:59.409 --> 00:09:02.230 actually have, I don't have cash on me. I don't 00:09:02.230 --> 00:09:05.370 have any silver and gold. But what I do have 00:09:05.580 --> 00:09:09.899 I give to you." What does Peter have? Peter has 00:09:09.899 --> 00:09:13.580 what he most deeply needs. He says, in the name 00:09:13.580 --> 00:09:15.860 of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, we'll get up and 00:09:15.860 --> 00:09:20.279 walk. See, he gives him a miracle. He picks him 00:09:20.279 --> 00:09:23.360 up by the hand and gives him the capacity to 00:09:23.360 --> 00:09:27.779 walk, which is the capacity to work, which is 00:09:27.779 --> 00:09:30.799 the capacity to walk into the 3pm prayer service, 00:09:30.879 --> 00:09:34.810 the greatest and holiest of all services. And 00:09:34.810 --> 00:09:37.710 he's jumping and praising Jesus. He's dancing. 00:09:37.789 --> 00:09:40.309 He's probably got a flag. He's probably waving 00:09:40.309 --> 00:09:43.269 a flag around. This is how excited he is. Isn't 00:09:43.269 --> 00:09:46.029 impressive for someone who's never stood on his 00:09:46.029 --> 00:09:49.149 two feet in his life until five minutes ago. 00:09:50.190 --> 00:09:52.429 And everyone is astounded and they're astounded 00:09:52.429 --> 00:09:55.529 because they know who this guy is. This is the 00:09:55.529 --> 00:09:58.149 guy who's always asking for them for money at 00:09:58.149 --> 00:10:00.370 the temple gate that everyone calls beautiful. 00:10:01.129 --> 00:10:05.139 And here he is. He's completely healed. The man 00:10:05.139 --> 00:10:07.879 asked for what will help his immediate needs 00:10:07.879 --> 00:10:14.120 and Peter gives him what he most deeply, deeply, 00:10:14.120 --> 00:10:20.539 deeply needs. What's going on here? How can Peter 00:10:20.539 --> 00:10:24.340 give something an actual miracle in the name 00:10:24.340 --> 00:10:28.179 of Jesus? How does this work? There must be something 00:10:28.179 --> 00:10:30.100 in the name of Jesus, or more specifically, there 00:10:30.100 --> 00:10:33.340 must be something in a name that we just don't 00:10:33.340 --> 00:10:37.120 understand in our culture today. We don't really 00:10:37.120 --> 00:10:40.419 do anything in the name of someone else. Well, 00:10:40.539 --> 00:10:44.019 maybe we do. So if Katie on a Sunday morning 00:10:44.019 --> 00:10:47.720 wants to go get milk for our coffees at church, 00:10:48.220 --> 00:10:50.500 so don't just walk into the shop and declare 00:10:50.500 --> 00:10:52.779 at the top of her lungs, I would like milk in 00:10:52.779 --> 00:10:56.659 the name of Tim. Instead, she says, hey Tim, 00:10:56.799 --> 00:10:59.580 can I please borrow your card? And then she goes 00:10:59.580 --> 00:11:02.620 down to the shop and pays for milk. Not in her 00:11:02.620 --> 00:11:07.759 name, but in my name, because it's my card. By 00:11:07.759 --> 00:11:10.679 giving her my card, I am trusting her so much. 00:11:11.440 --> 00:11:14.679 I'm giving her the authority to spend as I would 00:11:14.679 --> 00:11:19.059 spend. She's acting on my behalf. And paying 00:11:19.059 --> 00:11:21.440 with someone else's credit card is the closest 00:11:21.440 --> 00:11:23.750 thing in our culture I can think of. to what 00:11:23.750 --> 00:11:27.529 it's like to do something in someone else's name. 00:11:28.110 --> 00:11:30.850 And anything else is probably just identity theft. 00:11:33.289 --> 00:11:36.850 We miss so much of the nuance of what's in a 00:11:36.850 --> 00:11:40.230 name. In Hebrew culture, the culture of Jesus, 00:11:40.350 --> 00:11:44.889 a name was more than just authority. So your 00:11:44.889 --> 00:11:47.669 name was actually synonymous with a person. You 00:11:47.669 --> 00:11:51.509 were indistinguishable from your name. Name equals 00:11:51.509 --> 00:11:55.539 person. Person equals name. There's no difference. 00:11:57.019 --> 00:12:01.419 You and your name are the same thing. And this 00:12:01.419 --> 00:12:05.639 is how Yahweh operates the God in the Old Testament 00:12:05.639 --> 00:12:08.360 over and over again. If you notice, if you're 00:12:08.360 --> 00:12:11.200 paying attention, God's putting His name places. 00:12:11.899 --> 00:12:15.360 For example, in Deuteronomy 12 .5, He says to 00:12:15.360 --> 00:12:18.519 the people, But you shall seek the place where 00:12:18.519 --> 00:12:20.360 the Lord your God chooses out of all your tribes 00:12:20.360 --> 00:12:23.679 to put his name for his dwelling place. And there 00:12:23.679 --> 00:12:25.700 you shall go." And he's talking about the tabernacle 00:12:25.700 --> 00:12:28.720 and then the temple, where he's putting his name, 00:12:28.759 --> 00:12:31.639 which is his presence. It's where he is. It's 00:12:31.639 --> 00:12:37.240 where his power is. A name is a person. And perhaps 00:12:37.240 --> 00:12:40.120 this becomes more clear for us in this example. 00:12:40.659 --> 00:12:43.059 What we know about through, you know, historical 00:12:43.059 --> 00:12:47.559 archaeological studies, of the pagan magic that 00:12:47.559 --> 00:12:50.860 was being performed by the nations around Israel, 00:12:51.259 --> 00:12:54.059 Israel people in the Near East. It is all to 00:12:54.059 --> 00:12:57.440 do with finding, speaking and invoking the names 00:12:57.440 --> 00:13:01.220 of those evil spirits. Because invoking their 00:13:01.220 --> 00:13:03.919 names invokes their presence and therefore evokes 00:13:03.919 --> 00:13:07.580 their power. This is how the ancient Middle Eastern 00:13:07.580 --> 00:13:11.940 worldview understands names and we don't understand 00:13:11.940 --> 00:13:15.450 them in the same way. And so we can miss things 00:13:15.450 --> 00:13:18.889 about what the Bible is trying to teach us. We 00:13:18.889 --> 00:13:21.889 kind of treat names as like an accessory to the 00:13:21.889 --> 00:13:25.250 real us at times. We are who we are and we happen 00:13:25.250 --> 00:13:27.409 to have a name, but it's kind of an accessory. 00:13:27.970 --> 00:13:30.549 Just as a wild example, you know, just plucking 00:13:30.549 --> 00:13:34.370 it from the clouds. People named Oliver can just 00:13:34.370 --> 00:13:36.909 decide that everyone should call them Tex because 00:13:36.909 --> 00:13:41.870 they lived in Texas for five minutes. We love 00:13:41.870 --> 00:13:44.049 you. We love you pastor Tex or whatever your 00:13:44.049 --> 00:13:48.649 name is In our culture and name doesn't mean 00:13:48.649 --> 00:13:53.370 as much as it meant in Hebrew worldview How can 00:13:53.370 --> 00:13:56.870 Peter heal in the name of Jesus? It's because 00:13:56.870 --> 00:13:59.389 he understands that the name of Jesus is synonymous. 00:13:59.429 --> 00:14:04.769 It's the same thing as Jesus himself His presence 00:14:04.769 --> 00:14:09.250 and his power And so he does it in the authority 00:14:09.250 --> 00:14:12.450 of Jesus. If you will, he's paying for this with 00:14:12.450 --> 00:14:16.450 Jesus' credit card. Don't forget that Jesus taught 00:14:16.450 --> 00:14:19.090 Peter and the other disciples how to do this 00:14:19.090 --> 00:14:22.470 when they walked with him. He hasn't just discovered 00:14:22.470 --> 00:14:25.309 past Pentecost that the name of Jesus has power. 00:14:25.769 --> 00:14:29.029 He's been apprenticed and equipped. The disciples 00:14:29.029 --> 00:14:32.289 in Luke 10, they're sent out and then they return 00:14:32.289 --> 00:14:35.570 to Jesus and they return reporting, Lord, even 00:14:35.570 --> 00:14:41.509 the demons submit to us in your name. You see 00:14:41.509 --> 00:14:44.370 here in this interaction with this man, Peter 00:14:44.370 --> 00:14:48.309 understands that he can apply the authority of 00:14:48.309 --> 00:14:52.610 Jesus. He understands that he has Jesus' authority 00:14:52.610 --> 00:14:57.559 and he can give it to this man to heal him. And 00:14:57.559 --> 00:15:00.419 because Peter understands this, he understands 00:15:00.419 --> 00:15:03.740 that he is essentially an ambassador of Jesus, 00:15:04.379 --> 00:15:07.200 using diplomatic powers. You see, remember, as 00:15:07.200 --> 00:15:09.279 a diplomat, you speak and act on behalf of another 00:15:09.279 --> 00:15:12.019 country. You speak and act in the authority of 00:15:12.019 --> 00:15:13.659 another country, and you speak and act under 00:15:13.659 --> 00:15:17.320 the authority of your country. Peter is speaking 00:15:17.320 --> 00:15:21.220 and acting on behalf of Jesus, in his authority 00:15:21.220 --> 00:15:25.250 and under his authority. And Peter uses the power 00:15:25.250 --> 00:15:27.909 of Jesus on behalf of Jesus to heal this man, 00:15:28.230 --> 00:15:31.570 just as Jesus healed multitudes of people who 00:15:31.570 --> 00:15:34.269 were suffering from any sickness, injury or disease 00:15:34.269 --> 00:15:38.210 when he walked the earth. See friends, Peter 00:15:38.210 --> 00:15:40.929 was a special character in a number of different 00:15:40.929 --> 00:15:44.029 ways, but he's not so special in that there's 00:15:44.029 --> 00:15:46.009 anything different about him than there is about 00:15:46.009 --> 00:15:49.730 you and me. He was just an ordinary, uneducated, 00:15:49.990 --> 00:15:52.960 bumbling, risk -taking, heart in your sleeve 00:15:52.960 --> 00:15:56.179 trades person. He just gave his, but he gave 00:15:56.179 --> 00:15:58.779 his whole heart, his whole allegiance to Jesus. 00:15:59.500 --> 00:16:01.799 And that gives us a lot of hope because the prerequisite 00:16:01.799 --> 00:16:08.940 is actually just faith. Simply faith, not impressiveness 00:16:08.940 --> 00:16:13.940 or education or personality type. The same spirit 00:16:13.940 --> 00:16:15.379 that was poured out in the church in Pentecost 00:16:15.379 --> 00:16:18.080 is the same spirit that is poured out on us today 00:16:18.080 --> 00:16:23.240 by faith. 2 Corinthians 5 19 to 20 says this 00:16:23.240 --> 00:16:28.120 and I want you to really pay attention God was 00:16:28.120 --> 00:16:35.279 reconciling the world to himself in Christ not 00:16:35.279 --> 00:16:39.100 counting people's sins against them and he has 00:16:39.100 --> 00:16:43.100 committed to us the message of reconciliation 00:16:43.100 --> 00:16:49.350 we are therefore Christ's ambassadors as though 00:16:49.350 --> 00:16:54.950 God was making his appeal through us. Through 00:16:54.950 --> 00:16:57.470 us, we implore you on Christ's behalf. This is 00:16:57.470 --> 00:17:00.570 our appeal. We implore you on Christ's behalf. 00:17:01.090 --> 00:17:06.049 Be reconciled to God. Friends, we are ambassadors 00:17:06.049 --> 00:17:09.569 of Jesus Christ. And the same spirit that's in 00:17:09.569 --> 00:17:11.890 Peter that can tell this man to walk in the name 00:17:11.890 --> 00:17:18.619 of Jesus, it's in us. ambassadors that speak 00:17:18.619 --> 00:17:20.940 and act on behalf of their country they operate 00:17:20.940 --> 00:17:23.759 in and under the authority of their country and 00:17:23.759 --> 00:17:25.740 Dan wheezed his way out of a fine in the name 00:17:25.740 --> 00:17:30.319 of an authority of Australia but Peter speaks 00:17:30.319 --> 00:17:34.200 he invokes the name of Jesus and he acts by pulling 00:17:34.200 --> 00:17:37.099 the man off the ground in the authority of Jesus 00:17:37.099 --> 00:17:43.539 and so do we friends we we can and do speak on 00:17:43.539 --> 00:17:46.720 behalf of Jesus if we are his followers. We can 00:17:46.720 --> 00:17:50.319 and do act on behalf of Jesus if we are his followers. 00:17:52.619 --> 00:17:55.140 But that might make you think, you know, sure, 00:17:55.180 --> 00:17:59.559 but not me, right? Like maybe you, Tim, because 00:17:59.559 --> 00:18:04.460 you standing up here, but not me. But if you 00:18:04.460 --> 00:18:07.299 are a Christian, if you're a follower of Jesus, 00:18:07.900 --> 00:18:13.099 then yeah, yeah, you. Yeah, you. Well, how? Well, 00:18:13.099 --> 00:18:17.920 because you call yourself by His name. See Christian, 00:18:18.119 --> 00:18:20.940 the word Christian in the original language of 00:18:20.940 --> 00:18:24.519 the New Testament, which is Greek, means one 00:18:24.519 --> 00:18:30.200 who belongs to or adheres to Christ. When we're 00:18:30.200 --> 00:18:33.160 a Christian, we call ourselves by His name. We 00:18:33.160 --> 00:18:37.400 are His people. We belong to Him. And we live 00:18:37.400 --> 00:18:40.450 in a culture that is more and more forgetting 00:18:40.450 --> 00:18:44.069 its history and its origins. We assume things 00:18:44.069 --> 00:18:48.049 like human rights or inequality are the water 00:18:48.049 --> 00:18:50.069 that we've always swum in, something we're always 00:18:50.069 --> 00:18:53.230 working towards and always will. But we forget 00:18:53.230 --> 00:18:56.390 and misunderstand our own history. These things 00:18:56.390 --> 00:18:58.710 are actually not self -evident and if you read 00:18:58.710 --> 00:19:01.430 history you'll see that. And then we only have 00:19:01.430 --> 00:19:04.269 these things because of the cultural heritage 00:19:04.269 --> 00:19:07.470 that has been given to us by Christianity. Christianity 00:19:07.470 --> 00:19:11.390 was a dominant culture in a lot of the Western 00:19:11.390 --> 00:19:14.490 world and now it is not and that's actually okay. 00:19:14.609 --> 00:19:17.609 It's fading into a minority. And we used to think 00:19:17.609 --> 00:19:21.309 about it like it was a post -Christian culture. 00:19:21.990 --> 00:19:24.890 A culture that was Christian but is now moved 00:19:24.890 --> 00:19:27.849 past that but that's actually incorrect now because 00:19:27.849 --> 00:19:29.869 that assumes that we're in this phase where we've 00:19:29.869 --> 00:19:34.369 moved past it but there's still critical cultural 00:19:34.369 --> 00:19:37.519 understanding of what Jesus is, who Jesus was, 00:19:37.559 --> 00:19:40.740 what he was about, what Christianity, the claims 00:19:40.740 --> 00:19:43.099 and historical evidence for Christianity, but 00:19:43.099 --> 00:19:46.200 more and more people have no frame of reference, 00:19:47.299 --> 00:19:49.940 no cultural understanding about who Jesus is, 00:19:50.039 --> 00:19:53.220 who he was, what he claimed and the evidence 00:19:53.220 --> 00:19:57.079 that there is for him. Now all this to say this, 00:19:57.579 --> 00:20:00.819 if someone knows you're a Christian, you may 00:20:00.819 --> 00:20:03.440 very well be the only reference point a person 00:20:03.440 --> 00:20:08.500 has. to about who Jesus is. You by what you say 00:20:08.500 --> 00:20:11.400 and how you act you teach people about who Jesus 00:20:11.400 --> 00:20:16.059 is. To people in your life you speak and act 00:20:16.059 --> 00:20:19.640 on behalf of Jesus and I mean none of this becomes 00:20:19.640 --> 00:20:22.619 more true or clear than when you're a parent. 00:20:23.059 --> 00:20:25.039 See because kids rarely listen to anything you 00:20:25.039 --> 00:20:28.900 actually say but they sure watch you and watch 00:20:28.900 --> 00:20:32.650 what you do. And nothing helps a child or young 00:20:32.650 --> 00:20:35.990 person embrace faith more than seeing a parent 00:20:35.990 --> 00:20:39.150 or another significant adult honestly grapple 00:20:39.150 --> 00:20:43.869 with their own faith, confess, seek the love 00:20:43.869 --> 00:20:46.190 and presence of Jesus in the midst of their own 00:20:46.190 --> 00:20:48.730 failure, their own heartbreak, their own loss 00:20:48.730 --> 00:20:51.750 and fear. Nothing helps a young person understand 00:20:51.750 --> 00:20:54.910 the gospel more than to see an adult apply the 00:20:54.910 --> 00:20:58.329 gospel imperfectly to their own lives. Their 00:20:58.329 --> 00:21:00.690 grace comes through faith, not their perfection. 00:21:02.430 --> 00:21:05.029 All your kids or your future kids, if you're 00:21:05.029 --> 00:21:08.230 blessed with them, will know about Jesus, is 00:21:08.230 --> 00:21:11.170 how you demonstrate your imperfect grace -filled 00:21:11.170 --> 00:21:16.210 life to them. You speak and act on behalf of 00:21:16.210 --> 00:21:21.910 Jesus all the time. And now this can feel overwhelming, 00:21:22.190 --> 00:21:25.329 because I know how imperfect my life with Jesus 00:21:25.329 --> 00:21:29.160 is. I know by my words and my actions that I 00:21:29.160 --> 00:21:33.259 have misrepresented Jesus and although this is 00:21:33.259 --> 00:21:35.680 somewhat unavoidable I'd be lying if I didn't 00:21:35.680 --> 00:21:38.460 say that it leaves me utterly heartbroken that 00:21:38.460 --> 00:21:42.220 some people maybe have even dismissed Jesus because 00:21:42.220 --> 00:21:46.740 I have been such a poor ambassador. We don't 00:21:46.740 --> 00:21:50.759 and we won't probably get this right but I want 00:21:50.759 --> 00:21:53.180 to say to you friends that there is enough grace 00:21:53.799 --> 00:21:58.339 for our imperfect and sinful ambassadorship and 00:21:58.339 --> 00:22:02.460 here's why see a name isn't just power remember 00:22:02.460 --> 00:22:08.200 it's not just authority it's presence too when 00:22:08.200 --> 00:22:10.099 we speak and act in the name of Jesus we're not 00:22:10.099 --> 00:22:13.200 like human ambassadors in that we are speaking 00:22:13.200 --> 00:22:17.480 on behalf of a country that is far far away when 00:22:17.480 --> 00:22:19.400 we call on the name of Jesus when we speak his 00:22:19.400 --> 00:22:23.130 name he's actually there with us Peter's able 00:22:23.130 --> 00:22:25.630 to heal this man as he pulls him up because it's 00:22:25.630 --> 00:22:28.950 not just Peter. It's the presence of Jesus that 00:22:28.950 --> 00:22:32.309 pulls that man up to. In Jesus' name, he is with 00:22:32.309 --> 00:22:35.609 us. And so when we pray in the name of Jesus, 00:22:35.650 --> 00:22:39.349 we're invoking the presence of Jesus. When we 00:22:39.349 --> 00:22:42.049 say grace at dinner and we ask blessing over 00:22:42.049 --> 00:22:44.410 the food that we're about to eat, do we realize 00:22:44.410 --> 00:22:47.269 that we are inviting the Jesus who made a couple 00:22:47.269 --> 00:22:51.880 of loaves and fish feed 5 ,000? Do we realize 00:22:51.880 --> 00:22:54.579 that we're inviting Jesus to sit at the table 00:22:54.579 --> 00:22:58.259 with us, to bless it now as He blessed it then? 00:23:00.180 --> 00:23:02.259 Let me pray for someone to be healed in Jesus' 00:23:02.420 --> 00:23:05.180 name. Do we realize that we are asking the power 00:23:05.180 --> 00:23:07.420 and presence of Jesus to reach out and touch 00:23:07.420 --> 00:23:11.920 their body and heal them, to heal them now as 00:23:11.920 --> 00:23:16.559 He healed them then? When we sing, what a beautiful 00:23:16.559 --> 00:23:18.279 name, what a wonderful name, what a powerful 00:23:18.279 --> 00:23:21.680 name Jesus has, do we realize that when we do 00:23:21.680 --> 00:23:23.619 that, we're not just saying that Jesus is a great 00:23:23.619 --> 00:23:27.559 choice of name, but that it's beautiful and wonderful 00:23:27.559 --> 00:23:31.240 and powerful because Jesus is beautiful and wonderful 00:23:31.240 --> 00:23:35.220 and powerful. When we declare, as it does in 00:23:35.220 --> 00:23:37.920 Philippians 2, verse 10 to 11, that the name 00:23:37.920 --> 00:23:41.099 of Jesus Every knee will bow in heaven and on 00:23:41.099 --> 00:23:43.400 earth and under the earth and every tongue will 00:23:43.400 --> 00:23:45.819 declare that Jesus Christ is Lord to the glory 00:23:45.819 --> 00:23:48.819 of God the Father Do we realize it's not just 00:23:48.819 --> 00:23:52.019 because Jesus has a very very impressive name 00:23:52.019 --> 00:23:55.779 but because every knee and every tongue that 00:23:55.779 --> 00:23:58.440 stands in the presence of the living Jesus cannot 00:23:58.440 --> 00:24:01.559 help but bow the knee and Declare with their 00:24:01.559 --> 00:24:05.960 mouth that Jesus is Lord Where Jesus name is 00:24:05.960 --> 00:24:10.390 there he is And so wherever we pray, whenever 00:24:10.390 --> 00:24:14.170 we sing, whenever we declare the name of Jesus, 00:24:14.250 --> 00:24:17.829 we invoke the power, presence and authority of 00:24:17.829 --> 00:24:22.750 Jesus himself. Friends, don't be deceived. You 00:24:22.750 --> 00:24:25.690 can't divide the spiritual and the physical world. 00:24:26.509 --> 00:24:29.970 Your words are sacred. Your words have power. 00:24:30.549 --> 00:24:34.730 Everything is spiritual. Can you see how praying 00:24:34.730 --> 00:24:36.789 in the name of Jesus can actually change the 00:24:36.789 --> 00:24:40.750 world? Even something as basic and something 00:24:40.750 --> 00:24:44.950 we do by rote probably, such as saying grace 00:24:44.950 --> 00:24:48.390 in the name of Jesus, that can change the world 00:24:48.390 --> 00:24:53.029 because it's in His name. We invite His presence 00:24:53.029 --> 00:24:56.750 and there He is with us in all His glory and 00:24:56.750 --> 00:25:00.670 power and authority. Why would Jesus give this 00:25:00.670 --> 00:25:03.789 to us? Isn't this a lot of power and trust to 00:25:03.789 --> 00:25:07.180 very flawed, imperfect ambassadors? And yeah, 00:25:07.200 --> 00:25:08.980 it is. It's kind of like putting a credit card 00:25:08.980 --> 00:25:12.000 in the hands of a six year old. They barely know 00:25:12.000 --> 00:25:14.440 how it works. They don't know where the money 00:25:14.440 --> 00:25:18.059 comes from, but they have so many things that 00:25:18.059 --> 00:25:23.299 they absolutely must and do need to have. But 00:25:23.299 --> 00:25:26.019 God does know what he's doing. The power of God 00:25:26.019 --> 00:25:31.720 is in the people of God. God's chosen to use 00:25:31.720 --> 00:25:34.480 little old me and little old you as his ambassadors. 00:25:34.990 --> 00:25:37.710 for the reconciliation of all things. You remember 00:25:37.710 --> 00:25:42.410 that second Corinthians passage? We are ambassadors 00:25:42.410 --> 00:25:46.809 for reconciliation. We're to spend our lives 00:25:46.809 --> 00:25:51.650 declaring in deeds and in words that the world 00:25:51.650 --> 00:25:56.150 needs to be reconciled to God, that God has reconciled 00:25:56.150 --> 00:25:59.289 the world in Christ and needs to be reconciled. 00:26:00.009 --> 00:26:03.690 And that's a cry of our lives to the world. Be 00:26:03.690 --> 00:26:07.609 reconciled to God through Jesus. God's given 00:26:07.609 --> 00:26:11.069 us his authority, this power under Jesus, to 00:26:11.069 --> 00:26:13.990 see his kingdom come in Henley as it is in heaven. 00:26:15.150 --> 00:26:18.630 Friends, we get to partner with God in speaking 00:26:18.630 --> 00:26:22.710 and acting in the name of Jesus. To see our world, 00:26:22.869 --> 00:26:25.769 our friends, our family, those we love so much, 00:26:26.569 --> 00:26:30.319 reconciled to God through Jesus. Isn't this amazing? 00:26:30.400 --> 00:26:31.720 Like if you really get your head around this, 00:26:31.759 --> 00:26:36.400 this is mind -blowing. We get to participate 00:26:36.400 --> 00:26:40.000 in the application of the power and authority 00:26:40.000 --> 00:26:43.160 of Jesus to this world. When you realize that, 00:26:43.200 --> 00:26:45.880 you'll never pray in Jesus' name by sheer habit 00:26:45.880 --> 00:26:50.180 again. You'll never pray by sheer habit. You 00:26:50.180 --> 00:26:53.519 will pray with conviction, you will pray with 00:26:53.519 --> 00:27:00.019 authority, and you will pray with purpose. So 00:27:00.019 --> 00:27:04.240 maybe we know a little bit of why. But how can 00:27:04.240 --> 00:27:07.440 Jesus give us this authority? Well, He can give 00:27:07.440 --> 00:27:11.420 it because He wanted on the cross. You see, like 00:27:11.420 --> 00:27:14.779 the man, we were excluded from communion, from 00:27:14.779 --> 00:27:19.380 community with God. Our sin estranged us from 00:27:19.380 --> 00:27:22.960 God. Like the man, we had no hope for a better 00:27:22.960 --> 00:27:26.480 life. All we could hope for was something to 00:27:26.480 --> 00:27:29.400 help us survive the day, eat, drink and be merry. 00:27:30.819 --> 00:27:34.119 But Jesus gave us not what we most immediately 00:27:34.119 --> 00:27:38.940 needed, but what we most deeply needed. Jesus 00:27:38.940 --> 00:27:42.019 died with our sin once and for all, and by doing 00:27:42.019 --> 00:27:46.839 so, God and Jesus made a way for us to be reconciled 00:27:46.839 --> 00:27:50.380 to Him again. So He can give authority because 00:27:50.380 --> 00:27:53.000 He has won it in His death and resurrection. 00:27:53.279 --> 00:27:56.079 And he tells us that because he says that to 00:27:56.079 --> 00:27:58.660 his disciples before he ascends to heaven at 00:27:58.660 --> 00:28:01.839 the end of Matthew's gospel. He says, I have 00:28:01.839 --> 00:28:07.200 been given all authority in heaven and on earth. 00:28:07.319 --> 00:28:10.460 It's mine. I have it. No one else has it. I have 00:28:10.460 --> 00:28:17.140 all of it. Therefore go. Therefore go. Make disciples. 00:28:17.579 --> 00:28:21.339 Multiply yourself to all the nations. Baptize 00:28:21.339 --> 00:28:24.569 them in the name. in the name of the Father and 00:28:24.569 --> 00:28:27.869 the Son and the Holy Spirit and teach them to 00:28:27.869 --> 00:28:31.690 obey all the commands I've given you and be sure 00:28:31.690 --> 00:28:36.789 of this I am always with you until the even to 00:28:36.789 --> 00:28:41.269 the very end of the age my friends we we've been 00:28:41.269 --> 00:28:45.829 given all authority because we have Jesus Jesus 00:28:45.829 --> 00:28:56.140 has all authority so speak Act. Pray. And do 00:28:56.140 --> 00:29:02.200 it boldly. In the name of Jesus. Go. Make disciples. 00:29:03.079 --> 00:29:06.200 You have been given authority. You've been given 00:29:06.200 --> 00:29:10.099 permission to do so. You have the power. You 00:29:10.099 --> 00:29:13.119 have Jesus' power. And you don't just have the 00:29:13.119 --> 00:29:16.519 power. You have the presence of Jesus with you. 00:29:17.039 --> 00:29:21.640 Always. Always. No matter where you are. On this 00:29:21.640 --> 00:29:24.180 earth, you will always have the presence of Jesus. 00:29:24.200 --> 00:29:26.380 Even if you are in the middle of the desert and 00:29:26.380 --> 00:29:29.480 you are completely alone, you have Jesus with 00:29:29.480 --> 00:29:33.799 you always. Even to the end of the age, even 00:29:33.799 --> 00:29:37.240 to the end of your age, even to the last breath 00:29:37.240 --> 00:29:41.700 you breathe, you will have Jesus with you. There 00:29:41.700 --> 00:29:45.319 is power in the name of Jesus. There is power 00:29:45.319 --> 00:29:49.480 in the name of Jesus because Jesus is His name. 00:29:53.809 --> 00:29:56.329 Thanks so much for tuning in to this week's message. 00:29:57.170 --> 00:30:00.089 If you felt challenged or need prayer, we'd love 00:30:00.089 --> 00:30:02.549 to hear from you on Instagram at EncounterHenry. 00:30:03.150 --> 00:30:05.430 Or if you're interested in how you can support 00:30:05.430 --> 00:30:09.410 this ministry, please go to our website encounteradelaide 00:30:09.410 --> 00:30:13.569 .com .au. Thanks again for listening. God bless 00:30:13.569 --> 00:30:13.910 you.