Last week, we discussed Peter and John being witnesses with the lame man to the healing power in the name of Jesus. It doesn’t take long for them to be noticed and to upset the authorities for several reasons, mainly because this healing occurred in the name of Jesus, whom 50+ days earlier they had crucified.
Acts 4 1-4
And as they were speaking to the people, the priests and the captain of the temple and the Sadducees came upon them, 2 greatly annoyed because they were teaching the people and proclaiming in Jesus the resurrection from the dead. 3 And they arrested them and put them in custody until the next day, for it was already evening. 4 But many of those who had heard the word believed, and the number of the men came to about five thousand.
The Pharisees were the conservatives; they adhered to the law, believed in miracles, angels, a future resurrection of the dead, and the coming of a Messiah who would rule over the earth. The Sadducees were the liberals, the modernists; they did not believe in any of that, so that is why they were sad, you see! That is what annoyed them about this miracle and Jesus’ proclamation.
Peter and John had been preaching for several hours, starting at 3 in the afternoon and now it was evening, so it was sometime after 6. During that time, at least 2000 more men came to Christ, plus women!
So for healing a lame man in Jesus’ name, they had to spend the night in jail.
Acts 4:5,6
On the next day their rulers and elders and scribes gathered together in Jerusalem, 6 with Annas the high priest and Caiaphas and John and Alexander, and all who were of the high-priestly family.
Annas was of the lineage of Aaron, so he was the Biblically appointed high priest. However, he fell out of favor with the Roman government, which replaced him with his son-in-law, Caiaphas. Despite this, most people still honored Annas. Consider this: here is a man of God, called by God with a godly heritage, yet he rejected God in the flesh and is now opposing the things of God.
George MacDonald quote, “There is nothing so deadening to the soul as the daily handling of the outside of holy things.” (I have a graphic)
Acts 4:7
And when they had set them in the midst, they inquired, “By what power or by what name did you do this?”
They are following the rules God handed down in Deuteronomy 18:21,22. They want to hear if this miracle has been done in the name of Yahweh or some other God
Acts 4:8-10
Then Peter, filled with the Holy Spirit, said to them, “Rulers of the people and elders, 9 if we are being examined today concerning a good deed done to a crippled man, by what means this man has been healed, 10 let it be known to all of you 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 is standing before you well.
The inference in this text is that when Peter needed it most, the Lord refilled him with the Holy Spirit so he could be wise when responding to the council and say exactly what the Lord intended. After being filled with the Holy Spirit, we see that, for the most part, Peter’s heart aligns with the Lord’s heart. Later, we observe that due to fear of rejection from fellow Christians, he strays a bit, but overall, his heart remains aligned with the Lord, prompting him to seek a fresh filling of the Holy Spirit whenever needed. If we keep our hearts in the same mindset, we can expect the Lord to do the same for us!
Peter is almost quoting Jesus from a similar situation here when Jesus said…
Jesus said, “At my Father’s direction I have done many good works. For which one are you going to stone me?” John 10:32
He doesn’t simply say “Jesus of Nazareth,” but instead calls him “Jesus Christ,” meaning the anointed one, the messiah, the son of God… that you crucified… OUCH! and God raised him from the dead. They all knew and had heard the stories of Jesus’ resurrection. He was making it clear to them who Jesus really is, and it is in the name, with that power, that this man was healed — not through their own power.
Paul made a very clear statement about the name of Jesus…Philippians 2:10
that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth,
We must always remember that the Lord is unlimited in scope and power, and He can accomplish anything.
Acts 4:11,12
For Jesus is the one referred to in the Scriptures, where it says, ‘The stone that you builders rejected has now become the cornerstone.’ 12 There is salvation in no one else! God has given no other name under heaven by which we must be saved.”
Peter is quoting Psalm 118:22, helping us understand that the rock, the stone on which the Kingdom is built, is not Peter, nor John, nor their words, but on Christ and Christ alone. He is also demonstrating that Jesus is God by calling Him the “Savior”. Even as Jesus prayed in Gethsemane, there is no other way to salvation except through Jesus’ death and resurrection.
Isaiah 43:11
“I, yes I, am the LORD, and there is no other Savior.”
Acts 4:13-15
13 The members of the council were amazed when they saw the boldness of Peter and John, for they could see that they were ordinary men with no special training in the Scriptures. They also recognized them as men who had been with Jesus. 14 But since they could see the man who had been healed standing right there among them, there was nothing the council could say. 15 So they ordered Peter and John out of the council chamber and conferred among themselves.
Oh, the frustration. There is nothing they can do… the lame man is standing right there, and there is no denying the miracle… The power of the Holy Spirit not only healed the man but also enabled these men, despite their lack of formal education, to baffled the professors of the Bible of their day… They had read these scriptures like any good Jewish boy would have, but the Holy Spirit brought them back to their memory and gave them the confidence and boldness they needed… as he will you!!!
Acts 4:16-22
What should we do with these men?” they asked each other. “We can’t deny that they have performed a miraculous sign, and everybody in Jerusalem knows about it. 17 But to keep them from spreading their propaganda any further, we must warn them not to speak to anyone in Jesus’ name again.” 18 So they called the apostles back in and commanded them never again to speak or teach in the name of Jesus. 19 But Peter and John replied, “Do you think God wants us to obey you rather than him? 20 We cannot stop telling about everything we have seen and heard.” 21 The council then threatened them further, but they finally let them go because they didn’t know how to punish them without starting a riot. For everyone was praising God 22 for this miraculous sign—the healing of a man who had been lame for more than forty years.
Sometimes we just need to let the Lord put our enemies in a predicament that they can’t escape from; they couldn’t do anything to Peter and John. HOLY BOLDNESS
Acts 4:23-26
As soon as they were freed, Peter and John returned to the other believers and told them what the leading priests and elders had said. 24 When they heard the report, all the believers lifted their voices together in prayer to God: “O Sovereign Lord, Creator of heaven and earth, the sea, and everything in them—25 you spoke long ago by the Holy Spirit through our ancestor David, your servant, saying,
‘Why were the nations so angry? Why did they waste their time with futile plans?
26 The kings of the earth prepared for battle; the rulers gathered together against the LORD
and against his Messiah.’
They returned to the core church family, explained what happened, and rejoiced. The church grows when faced with external persecution; internal issues like backbiting, gossip, lies, and other conflicts cause it to falter. As this quote from Psalm 2 suggests, it is futile for the nations to try to stand against God. Keep that in mind in your own battles.
Acts 4:27-31
In fact, this has happened here in this very city! For Herod Antipas, Pontius Pilate the governor, the Gentiles, and the people of Israel were all united against Jesus, your holy servant, whom you anointed. 28 But everything they did was determined beforehand according to your will. 29 And now, O Lord, hear their threats, and give us, your servants, great boldness in preaching your word. 30 Stretch out your hand with healing power; may miraculous signs and wonders be done through the name of your holy servant Jesus.”
31 After this prayer, the meeting place shook, and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit. Then they preached the word of God with boldness.
Once again BOLDNESS, BOLDNESS, BOLDNESS….Can we dare pray such a prayer…God will shake your life as you do!
Acts 4: 32-37
All the believers were united in heart and mind. And they felt that what they owned was not their own, so they shared everything they had. 33 The apostles testified powerfully to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, and God’s great blessing was upon them all. 34 There were no needy people among them, because those who owned land or houses would sell them 35 and bring the money to the apostles to give to those in need.
36 For instance, there was Joseph, the one the apostles nicknamed Barnabas (which means “Son of Encouragement”). He was from the tribe of Levi and came from the island of Cyprus. 37 He sold a field he owned and brought the money to the apostles.
Because of their unity, they understood each other’s pain and recognized each other’s needs, so they willingly gave from their own selves and their generosity to others. This was not socialism or communism, nor was it under compulsion; they gave freely when they saw the needs because they were born with hearts attuned to each other. This became a problem in Jerusalem as they began to become impoverished. Paul would later state that if someone doesn’t work, they shouldn’t eat (2 Thessalonians 3:10) because people started to take advantage instead of being genuinely generous to one another. They became selfish.
Today’s take away
- We are all called to stand against opposition and when we do the Holy Spirit will empower us to stand strong
- Previously fearful and insecure, Peter and John were now bold and able to outwit even the brightest
- There is no other way to heaven except Jesus, and in Christ alone
- God makes ordinary people extraordinary when they are filled with the Holy Spirit
- United, faithfilled prayer brings down the Holy Spirit and boldness with Him
- We should all be known for our generosity and love
God is on the move in our church and we need to simply be open to what God is doing!