Recap of last week - Acts Chapter 3
Peter and John entering the temple at 3 in the afternoon, saw beggar who'd been lame from birth.
Told the man "silver and gold I do not have, but what I do have I give to you: int he name of Jesus Christ the Nazarene - walk!" Man was healed. He began to shout and jump and attracted a huge crowd.
Peter and John began to preach the gospel to them, called the Jews, including the leadership, to repent of their wickedness. Did not mince their words.
Acts 3:13-16 - sermon caused quite a commotion.
Acts 4:1-2 - approached by the political and religious giants.
A) the priests - set up in Old Testament with Aaron and sons. Were to speak to God on behalf of the people. Were to confess the sins of the people and offer sacrifices to God for them. Were supposed to be holy in character.
Once a year the high priest was to go into the holy of holies where the ark of the covenant was and into the presence of God to intercede for the people.
B) The Captain of the temple guard. Basically, the chief of police for the temple. Composed of Levites. May have been his men who were guarding the tomb of Christ when He was raised from the dead. (could also have been a Roman guard) but no doubt that this captain knew about the resurrection account of the soldiers who were on guard.
C) The Sadducees - one of the two elite groups that made up the Sanhedrin, the Jewish ruling council.
Held that only the first 5 books of the Pentateuch were divinely inspired. Didn't hold to the rest of the Old Testament as authoritative. Did not believe in resurrection, the existence of angels, an afterlife. Basically denied anything supernatural. We see them clashing with Jesus over and over along with the Pharisees.
We have record in Acts 15 that some of the Pharisees did become Christians, but have no record of any of the Sadducees coming to faith in the Bible.
Bitter hatred between them and the Pharisees. Controlled the 70 member Sanhedrin at the time.
However, leaders of both parties came against Christ and his disciples.
According to John MacArthur, Sadducees "tended to be wealthy, aristocratic members of the priestly tribe." "The Pharisees were legalists" Sadducees were liberals." "Pharisees were separatists; Sadducees were compromisers and political opportunists", yet they united to oppose Christ.
These people, Acts 4:2, were "greatly annoyed". Some versions = grieved, disturbed, distressed.
Why were they so annoyed?
Acts 4:2 = 3 reasons:
#1) Peter and John were teaching the people.Sadducees were the gate keepers: Peter and John had not been to their schools or their seminaries. Peter and John not aristocrats and intellectuals such as themselves.
Were fishermen from Galilee. Fairly young, uneducated men. And were teaching the people in their temple.
#2) They were teaching in Jesus name. The Messiah. Who they had killed and who they were rejecting.
#3) They were teaching the resurrection of the dead. The same Messiah whose resurrection they were covering up.
These nobodies, by the world's standards, were starting to shake up their grip on the people. It was really starting to shake their tower of authority.
And, because of this, they were Greatly Annoying!!!!
Acts 4:3-4 Because of them being greatly annoying, they were arrested. Spent the night in jail. But even so, many who heard their message were saved. (5000 men - just counting the men)
Sadducees had good reason to fear. According to historians, the number of their followers was less than 5000.
These new converts didn't just walk an aisle or raise a hand or fill out a card, but genuinely came to faith in Christ. The Sadducees had reason to panic. They seemed more interested in their own positions, rather than serving the God they supposedly followed.
Acts 4:5-7 - elite gather to pass judgment on Peter and John. This 71 member group known as the Sanhedrin, (the Jewish national ruling body and supreme court) - included Annas, former high priest and Caiphas, the current high priest.
All the Sanhedrin made up of very powerful men. Sat in a circle with the accused (Peter and John) in the center and the accused would state their case.
Ruling council asked the question, "by what power or by what name do you do this?" (who do you think you are?)
Peter and John were there right before Jesus ascended into heaven and he told them "all authority in heaven and on earth has been given unto me... therefore go!! - Matt. 28:18
Who cares what these men think or what they can do to them. These men have seen the resurrected King!! They were told by Jesus himself - Luke 12:11-12 - ".... Holy Spirit will teach you ... what you ought to say." - Jesus keeps His promises.
Acts 4:8-12 - message brought by the same Peter who cowered in fear outside the trial of Jesus NOW filled with the Holy Spirit with himself on trial knowing very well how powerful and evil the Sanhedrin is. He BRINGS IT!! Explaining to the elites through the Old Testament, Psm. 118, to be the mediator between the people for, that God has sent his Messiah, His very Son and they rejected Him, handed him over to be crucified! No other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.
APPLICATION:
#1. Intellect will not save you.
These men all had a knowledge of God. All, at least, paid lip service to the God of Israel, but clearly missed the point.
Jesus said of this group "... people honor me with their lips, but ... hearts are far from me." Matt. 15:8
James 2:19 - "... even the demons believe --- and shudder."
Not enough to just be able to rattle off some facts. Need to submit very life to the Lord Jesus Christ!!
Gal. 2:20 - can this be said of you.
Acts 4:13
#2. God calls us to be bold!
We live in a world of pansies. Somewhere along the way pelple started getting the idea that the goal of the Christian life s not to offend anybody. Someone forgot to tell Peter that!!! Someone forgot to tell Paul that! Someone forgot to tell Jesus that!! Rom. 12:18 - true. But no hemhawing around the truth of God's word.
Peter - before the Sanhedrin - and says, "there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved!"
#3. Christian courage comes from time with God
Acts 4:13 - got this boldness because he had been with Jesus. Hard to be bold for Jesus when you don't spend time with Him. Just try to do God's work without spending time in prayer and in the scripture. You will be miserable.
When are spending time with God and serving God, He instills in us a boldness in doing His work at just the right time. "Ordinary/uneducated" by the world's standard, but they'd spent 3 years being trained by the creator of all things an now they are filled with his Holy Spirit. God still uses his people ad He still shows up when we serve Him.
Acts 4:14-22
#4. Don't harden your heart.
These leaders KNEW of the resurrection, SAW the miracle of this man being healed, SAW the extraordinary courage of Peter and John, yet their response was still rebellion!! Don't fight God. You will lose!!!
#5. Don't stop.
Acts 4:18-20. They just could NOT stop. Regardless of the consequences. The disciples counted it worthy to suffer persecution for Jesus.
Whatever you are struggling with - sin - lost friend - wayward child - don't fit in at school - don't want to be just like everyone else. Don't stop. Never grow tired of doing good!" Gal. 6:9
We need to step up and be bold in opportunities God gives us. Stop fighting God. Surrender to what He's calling you to. Whatever it is that God is calling you to do today, do it!!
No comments:
Post a Comment