I had a vivid dream a few days ago with a clear message. I was preaching and in the middle of the sermon, a former pastor, friend of mine, sitting in the audience, called out:

Keep preaching Bob! When you start talking about Jesus, I’ll listen.

It felt important. When I woke up with that in mind at 3 a.m., I was debating whether or not to write it down, but I said to myself, “If it’s important, I’ll remember it in the morning,” and I did.

We don’t want to forget to talk about Jesus. The apostles didn’t. Here’s part of Paul’s sermon while still on the island of Cypress:

Brothers, sons of the family of Abraham, and those among you who fear God, to us has been sent the message of this salvation. For those who live in Jerusalem and their rulers, because they did not recognize him nor understand the utterances of the prophets, which are read every Sabbath, fulfilled them by condemning him. And though they found in him no guilt worthy of death, they asked Pilate to have him executed. And when they had carried out all that was written of him, they took him down from the tree and laid him in a tomb. But God raised him from the dead, and for many days he appeared to those who had come up with him from Galilee to Jerusalem, who are now his witnesses to the people. And we bring you the good news that what God promised to the fathers, this he has fulfilled to us their children by raising Jesus…Let it be known to you, therefore, brothers, that through this man forgiveness of sins is proclaimed to you… (Acts 13.26 – 32, 38, ESV)

Here’s a snippet of Peter’s first sermon – the one at Pentecost:

Men of Israel, hear these words: Jesus of Nazareth, a man attested to you by God with mighty works and wonders and signs that God did through him in your midst, as you yourselves know—this Jesus, delivered up according to the definite plan and foreknowledge of God, you crucified and killed by the hands of lawless men. God raised him up, loosing the pangs of death, because it was not possible for him to be held by it. (Acts 2.22 – 24, ESV)

Ours is not a faith of ideas or good behavior – it’s about a person.

And there is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved. (Acts 4.12, ESV)