Sunday Morning Service

Acts 4:5-31 (Click title for audio access)

"Boldness!"  •  6.19.11  •  Calvary Christian Fellowship, Sunday Morning Service

Intro

- I want to begin our session this morning with a quote from the Lord Jesus Himself. This was spoken a short time before His short bout with death.

• Mark 13:9-11  :  "But watch out for yourselves, for they will deliver you up to councils, and you will be beaten in the synagogues. You will be brought before rulers and kings for My sake, for a testimony to them. And the gospel must first be preached to all the nations. But when they arrest you and deliver you up, do not worry beforehand, or premeditate what you will speak. But whatever is given you in that hour, speak that; for it is not you who speak, but the Holy Spirit." 

- Peter and John have been detained for a formal inquiry into their suspicous activities. Jesus said that this would happen. It is the beginning of the world's opposition to Christ.

- To all true believers, there is a sense in which this story begins a story that you are very familiar with, as you have faced similar opposition, not to you, but to Jesus in and through you.

- I pray that you would find fellowship and instruction as we go through this passage.

Text

•  Acts 4:5,6  :  "And it came to pass, on the next day, that their rulers, elders, and scribes, as well as Annas the high priest, Caiaphas, John, and Alexander, and as many as were of the family of the high priest, were gathered together at Jerusalem."  :  These names are familiar to us from Matthew's gospel as many were the same men who condemned Jesus to death. They are about to sit in judgment upon Peter and John as well.

- To be men who had the power to exonerate and exalt Jesus only to reject Him was bad enough. Now, in the mercy of God, these men again have the opportunity to surrender to Jesus.

- Of the fruits of the Holy Spirit, which are found in Galatians 5, and are characteristics of the Holy Spirit seen in believers, one of the first is patience, or longsuffering.

- The world may believe that it is judging Christians, but the reality is that God is presenting them with an opportunity to repent at the sight of them.

- Please note something here: The first opposition that came was religious in nature, from people that would claim to know God. It comes in all shapes and sizes, but this was the first source.

- These important men would have been very intimidating to stand before. The Jew of that day might consider them in the same light as one would consider the Supreme Court today.

- And given the knowledge that these disciples had of the illegal trial of the Lord, they would have had more reason to be intimidated, though we'll find that they were not.

- Luke notes that Annas was the High Priest. He was the Jewish high priest.

- Caiaphas was Annas' son-in-law and was the Roman High Priest. It's difficult to say exactly who John and Alexander were.

- It's fine to assume that these were members of the family, perhaps even sons, as well as the others that had gathered for this moment.

•  Acts 4:7-10  :  "And when they had set them in the midst, they asked, 'By what power or by what name have you done this?' Then Peter, filled with the Holy Spirit, said to them, 'Rulers of the people and elders of Israel: If we this day are judged for a good deed done to a helpless man, by what means he has been made well, let it be known to you all, and to all the people of Israel, that by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom you crucified, whom God raised from the dead, by Him this man stands here before you whole."  :  The question that came to the forefront regarded the source of the miracle that was performed. This was their crisis.

- "Clarify this for us: How did this take place! Who gave you the authority to do this?"

- "What power" or "name" would indicate source and were synonymous, as the name would define the power and the power would define the name. One is the cause, the other is the character

- They had asked the same thing of Jesus in Matthew 21. This was an official inquiry and requirment of the Sanhedrin according to Deuteronomy 13, which adjures them to test the spirits.

- If a person came with miracle working powers, they were to investigate it's source, which is what they are doing here.

- Luke writes that Peter, filled with the Spirit answered. Too often, men make the mistake of answering with no thought to the fact that are indeed filled!

- The Holy Spirit gives Peter supernatural boldness in the face of this group of murderous men.

- Peter did not respond in the power of his flesh. That is not the story of the book. He responded, filled, wholly possesed of the Spirit.

- Peter begins by saying, "I'm glad that things are going so well in Jerusalem that you have the time to investigate this good deed done to this helpless man!" Why would they be bothered by this?

- He is clear and even restates things: If you are asking me what changed this man, it's simple: It's Jesus Christ of Nazareth! You know, the one YOU crucified, that God raised from the dead!

- We have mentioned this before, but the word "Christ" is not Jesus' last name. It's His title. Christ is the Greek word for the Jewish term "Messiah." Jesus is your Messiah Sanhedrin!

- You will notice that there are zero objections. Not one person from the Sanhedrin stood up and said, "No. Jesus didn't rise from the dead!" If it were untrue, they would have quelched it there!

- It is by the risen Jesus that this man stood there completely fit and whole.

•  Acts 4:11,12  :  "This is the ‘stone which was rejected by you builders, which has become the chief cornerstone.’ Nor is there salvation in any other, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.'"  : Peter anticipates their question. If He is the Messiah, then why would we reject Him? 

- Jesus is the fulfillment of what King David wrote in Psalm 118:22. The allusion is that the builders of the nation of Israel sought to build the nation on the stone of their own righteousness.

- They looked at Jesus and said, "That one does not fit our vision." As a result, they cast Him aside. They killed Jesus and rid themselves of Him, but God did not honor their decision.

- God looked at Jesus and said, "He is the foundation stone which will set the other stones in their place!"

- In architecture, the choosing of the cornerstone is vital to the building of the building. In ancient times, if it is not exactly perfect, the rest of the building will be crooked.

- God chose Jesus to be the foundation of the building that He was building, namely the church that would bring glory and honor to His name!

- Now, Peter makes a profound statement that continues to ring in our ears these 2,000 years after the fact. He is foundation stone and He is the vehicle that brings about salvation.

- Note the exclusivity. There is neither power to heal, nor is there salvation in any other!

- Salvation is what the miracle pointed to. Because Jesus was able to heal this man, the claim was verified that Jesus was able to bring this man salvation, but it's only by Him.

- I pray that this will deal with some inaccuracies that can easily pass through our lips.

- It would, for example, be inaccurate to say that Jesus is simply one way to salvation, as though there were others.

- Or, it would be a fallacy to report that Jesus is my personal way, as though He succeeded to save me and He might work for you as well!

- Jesus is the only way that any man or woman who has ever lived can have any hope of receiving the gift of eternal life, here called salvation!

- His is the only name under heaven that is given. The word can be translated "extended" or "administered" to. God has extended the hands of His Son to bring men to salvation.

- He is the one door. He is the sole access point. His is the only name that brings salvation.

•  Acts 4:13-17  :  "Now when they saw the boldness of Peter and John, and perceived that they were uneducated and untrained men, they marveled. And they realized that they had been with Jesus. And seeing the man who had been healed standing with them, they could say nothing against it. But when they had commanded them to go aside out of the council, they conferred among themselves, saying, 'What shall we do to these men? For, indeed, that a notable miracle has been done through them is evident to all who dwell in Jerusalem, and we cannot deny it. But so that it spreads no further among the people, let us severely threaten them, that from now on they speak to no man in this name.'"  :  It was plain to see the boldness of Peter and John by what they said.

- The word for "boldness" speaks not to their bravado in action. Boldness, as defined by this Greek term refers to the clarity of their speech.

- The word carries with it these words that define it: "freedom in speaking, unreservedness in speech, without ambiguity or circumlocution, without the use of figures and comparisons."

- My favorite: "free and fearless confidence." Remember, these were men filled with the Holy Spirit who now showed their association to Him by how they talked!

- The boldness that they saw was extraordinary, given the men that they were: The were uneducated and untrained.

- Literally, they were illiterate and idiots, meaning they were not from the rabbinic schools, the seminaries of their time and they were unskilled, untrained lay workers.

- As much training and with as much prestige as the Sadducees had, they were blind to things spiritually! It's better to be a fisherman with the Holy Spirit than to be a Doctor of Theology without!

- Finally, they noted that which is the greatest compliment that can be given to any person in the faith: They had been with Jesus! It's how they spoke and acted.

- It's true that when a person spends significant time with one another they take on the personality traits of the other person. In the case of marriage, they often dress and look alike!

- They were men that other men could see Jesus in! Can that be said of you? Is your fellowship with Jesus such that people in your life, hear and see Jesus oozing out of your life?

- These men who stood in judgment over Peter and John knew where these guys had been hanging out! What could they do?

- Their counsel was to scare these men into not speaking of Jesus again. They wanted to silence them from speaking.

- Please understand that: The vehicle the enemy most wants to silence is the mouth of His witnesses! If I can just keep them from speaking!

- Why is our speaking in the name of Jesus the central concern? It is through speaking that the specific instruction regarding salvation comes! Our example is not enough.

- You can attribute good deeds to anything! Speaking of Jesus give specificity to our actions!

•  Acts 4:18-22  :  "So they called them and commanded them not to speak at all nor teach in the name of Jesus. But Peter and John answered and said to them, 'Whether it is right in the sight of God to listen to you more than to God, you judge. For we cannot but speak the things which we have seen and heard.' So when they had further threatened them, they let them go, finding no way of punishing them, because of the people, since they all glorified God for what had been done. For the man was over forty years old on whom this miracle of healing had been performed."  :  They commanded them. "Stop! In the name of the law!" Good luck with that! Spirit filled men look for what God is pleased with!

- Peter and John answered simply: Who should we obey? God or you?

- Who are we to obey? Who are we to fear? The beginning of wisdom is to fear the Lord. Fearing the Lord is to fear, respect, honor Him above and beyond any other agency!

- They commanded them, they threatened them, likely with reminders of what happened to Jesus, but the answer was already clear: They would obey God!

- This reminds me of the biblical account of Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego, who were offered the second chance at bowing at the statue in the plain of Dura, after failing to bow at first.

- There reply is very similar to what the Apostles answered here.

•  Daniel 3:16-18  :  "Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego answered and said to the king, 'O Nebuchadnezzar, we have no need to answer you in this matter. If that is the case, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and He will deliver us from your hand, O king. But if not, let it be known to you, O king, that we do not serve your gods, nor will we worship the gold image which you have set up."

- What can be done about a person like this? There is nothing else that can be done. They are compelled to tell what they had seen and heard. This is an important concept!

- Being a witness involves exactly this. It's not about apologetic theories and questions, though over time, one finds answers to those difficult questions if he asks God and reads his bible!

- Witnessing begins with what you have personally seen and heard! I have SEEN Jesus change my life and I have HEARD Him speak to me!

- The religious leaders could do nothing about this. They had no way to threaten them, as they showed that they could not make them fear them and they themselves were fearful of the people!

- The people did what the Sanhedrin did not do! They glorified God for what they had seen. The Sanhedrin sought to cover it up by all means. They should have been leading the parade!

- Their motivating interest was not God's glory. It was their own glory and prestige.

•  Acts 4:23-26  :  "And being let go, they went to their own companions and reported all that the chief priests and elders had said to them. So when they heard that, they raised their voice to God with one accord and said: 'Lord, You are God, who made heaven and earth and the sea, and all that is in them, who by the mouth of Your servant David have said: ‘Why did the nations rage, and the people plot vain things? The kings of the earth took their stand, and the rulers were gathered together against the Lord and against His Christ.'"  :  Speaking of what God had done and the response of the religious leaders resulted in a spontaneous praise service.

- Essentially, they recognize God's sovereignty in their situation. The praised the Lord with an understanding that they were living Psalm 2.

- The chief priests were not fighting against the Apostles. They were fighting against God and the Lord Jesus! They were opposing the God they claimed to serve and His Christ.

- They were engaged in a futile campaign that could never end in victory for them because they were fighting against the Sovereign Creator of all things!

- The frustration of your family, your teachers, your peers, your neighbors, is useless wasted energy. God will win each and every time, prayerfully through willing surrender now on Earth!

•  Acts 4:27-30  :  "For truly against Your holy Servant Jesus, whom You anointed, both Herod and Pontius Pilate, with the Gentiles and the people of Israel, were gathered together to do whatever Your hand and Your purpose determined before to be done. Now, Lord, look on their threats, and grant to Your servants that with all boldness they may speak Your word, by stretching out Your hand to heal, and that signs and wonders may be done through the name of Your holy Servant Jesus.'"  :  Jesus was treated by his enemies, the Gentiles or Romans, as well as the people of Israel, all according to the plan of God!

- They took comfort in understanding that God's sovereignty included suffering, even the suffering of the Messiah that brought salvation to them!

˚  "Because they saw their circumstances in light of God’s Word, they could recognize that the wrath of man never operated outside of the sphere of God’s control; these enemies of Jesus could only do whatever Your hand and Your purpose determined before to be done."   David Guzik

- Notice the thought process: God, these nations, these rulers are all fighting against you. You have allowed Messiah's suffering to bring salvation. What is their prayer for themselves?

- "Lord, don't let us suffer!" "Lord, don't let us go through persecution!" No, Lord give us all boldness to continue to speak Your Word!

- The Lord's prayer for His disciples and for those who would believe through the disciples, was not for relief, but for resolve!

- They would not simply muster up the courage or fire themselves up. They prayed that the Lord would grant them boldness.

- They prayed that God would continue to extend His hand to heal and that He would continue to perform signs and wonders through the name of Jesus.

•  Acts 4:31  :  "And when they had prayed, the place where they were assembled together was shaken; and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit, and they spoke the word of God with boldness."  : There is no explanation for this. The Spirit had come with a physical manifestation. The whole place shook like it had been hit with a wave.

- More to the point, the Lord answered their prayer for boldness by filling them with the Holy Spirit. They did not work up the Holy Spirit. They received the Holy Spirit.

- What was the result? They spoke the word with boldness. Clarity. Openess.

Conclusion

- Final thoughts as we close. Opposition to Christ is normal, par for the course. Don't pray against it. Accept it as an opportunity to be bold in your speech, understanding that that is what God's Spirit will give you when the need arises.