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No Other Name

Acts 4:1–31 Alex – May 3, 2025

Tagline

Jesus is the only name given under heaven by which we must be saved—and standing in that name is the source of all Christian boldness.

Sermon Summary

Acts 4 opens with Peter and John arrested after healing a lame man and preaching the resurrection. Before the Sanhedrin, Peter—filled with the Spirit—doesn't sidestep their trap. He walks straight into it: yes, it was Jesus, the one you crucified, whom God raised from the dead. This Jesus, the rejected stone who became the cornerstone, is the only name under heaven by which we must be saved. The passage isn't primarily about spiritual elitism or exclusivity. It's about hope where there was none. There is one name—and we can call on it.

What makes Peter bold isn't education or status—it's that he had been with Jesus. He stood in Jesus' name, meaning his full identity, authority, mission, and vindication as God's anointed one, present and active through the Spirit. When the council threatened him, Peter had nothing they could take away—no credentials to revoke, no approval to lose. Released, the church didn't pray for better political conditions or protection. They handed the threats to God and asked for one thing: boldness to keep speaking, and signs of changed lives among them. The room shook. The Spirit answered. And that same name—and that same boldness—is what we are called to stand in today.

Icebreaker Question (pick one)

  1. Have you ever seen someone handle a conflict in a way that was completely calm and unrattled? What made it so striking?

  2. Is there something you believe so deeply that you think you could say it calmly and clearly even under pressure?

Opening Prayer

Ask the Spirit to speak through the word and to lead your time together.

Scripture Reading

Read Acts 4:1–31 aloud as a group.

Main Discussion Questions

  • God Revealed: It says that the crowd was praising God (vs 21) for all they saw God do. Look over verses 8-12 again; what does Peter say that makes your heart rejoice in God?

  • Humanity Mirrored: The rulers "perceived that they were uneducated, common men" and were astonished—but recognized they had been with Jesus. Where do we tend to look for the wrong sources of confidence or credibility in our faith?

  • Gospel-Centered Vision: To pray and speak "in the name of Jesus" is to stand in his full identity as God's Anointed—his authority, his mission, his vindication—present and active through his Spirit in us. How does that change the way you understand what the church is and what it's doing in the world?

  • Transformed Living: The sermon described boldness not as brashness but as "unshakable authenticity"—knowing where you stand and who stands with you. What would it look like to live from that place this week?

  • Sharing & Witness: Is there someone in your life you could simply tell—not with all the answers, but from an honest place—why you still hold to faith in Jesus? Who might that be, and what's one step you could take toward that conversation?

For Further Study

  • Psalm 118:22–23 — The rejected stone becomes the cornerstone; the passage Peter quotes directly in his defense before the Sanhedrin.
  • Isaiah 45:21–22 — "Turn to me and be saved, all the ends of the earth, for I am God and there is no other."
  • Deuteronomy 13:1–4 — Moses' instruction to test prophets and signs—the framework the Sanhedrin was drawing on when they questioned Peter.
  • Acts 1:8 — Jesus' promise of power from on high and the Spirit-empowered witness that Acts 4 fulfills.
  • Acts 2:36–41 — Peter's Pentecost sermon and the response of 3,000; the same Spirit at work as in chapter 4.
  • Philippians 2:9–11 — The name above every name: every knee will bow to Jesus, whom God has highly exalted.
  • Ephesians 1:19–23 — Christ seated far above all rule, authority, power, and dominion—the authority standing behind Peter's boldness.
  • Romans 10:13 — "Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved."
  • John 15:16 — Jesus chose and appointed us to go and bear fruit—authorized agents sent in his name.
  • Numbers 22–24 — Balaam's encounter with Yahweh, who controls even a renowned sorcerer; a parallel to the Sanhedrin's helplessness before the power of God in Peter.
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