The Only Name | Acts 4:1-12

This Sunday we will be continuing our series through the book of Acts with a Palm Sunday message called "The Name" from Acts 4:5–12. It's a passage where the apostle Peter stands before the most powerful religious court in Israel — the same court that condemned Jesus just weeks earlier — and makes a claim so bold it still echoes today: "There is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved." One name. Not because God is narrow — but because God is specific. He didn't offer a menu. He threw a rope. And that rope has a name. But here's what makes this story so challenging: the people resisting Jesus in Acts 4 aren't pagans. They aren't people on the fringes. They're the most devout, most educated, most "spiritual" people in the room. They reject Jesus not because they lack evidence — the healed man is standing right in front of them — but because His authority threatens their control. Peter and John are standing before the same court that just weeks earlier tried and executed Jesus. And possibly, the same crowd. The crowd that shouted "Hosanna!" on Sunday was crying “Crucify him” by Friday. They turned on him fast. They turned on Him because He wasn't the kind of King they wanted. They wanted a Savior — someone to fix their problems, defeat their enemies, and make their lives better. What they got was a Lord who wanted to redefine everything. And that was too much. It's easy to shake our heads at those people from two thousand years ago. But if we're honest? That same tension lives in us. We're happy to pray for Jesus' help with our marriages, our anxiety, our finances, and our kids. But when He asks for the keys — when His authority touches the places we've been protecting — something in us pushes back. We want Jesus as a consultant, not a king. So this Palm Sunday, we're going to sit with an uncomfortable but important question: Where am I asking Jesus to help me — while resisting His right to lead me? And we're going to discover something beautiful on the other side of that question: the authority we're afraid of is the very authority that heals. The name we resist is the only name that saves. Join us this Sunday morning at Laureate Park Elementary. Whether this is your first time or you've been with us since the beginning, this is a Sunday you don't want to miss. Come and see what the name of Jesus has to offer — not just your Sunday, but your whole life. Here is our Outline: "The Name" Acts 4:5–12 | Palm Sunday I. The Debate: "By What Name?" (vv. 5–7) II. The Declaration: "This Is the Name" (vv. 8–11) III. The Demand: "There Is No Other Name" (v. 12) IV. The Decision: Where This Meets Us