The Bible is amazingly contemporary – In Acts 4:1-22 the disciples are faced with the issue of what to do when ordered by the authorities to stop preaching Christ….and they make the incredibly offensive but true claim that there is no other name by which people can be saved… In the light of what I have been saying about the Scottish Hate Crime Bill, the rise of Intolerant Islam in the West and also the Religious Discrimination act here in Australia – this passage seemed remarkably apposite. And remember I did not choose it – we are working through the book of Acts and this is the 12th sermon in that series.
You can listen to an audio only version on the ASK podcast here
Alive at 5 – Analysis, Sermons and a Plea for Help
Some Sermon Notes and Quotes
1) The Disturbing Teaching v.1-4
Peters sermon is interrupted – lit ‘set upon’. The priest, the captain of the temple and the Sadducees….who ran the temple came up to them. The captain was captain of the temple police. Sadducees claimed to go back to Zadok the high priest under Solomon. Mostly aristocratic. Much more materialistic and political – wanted to keep their place with the Romans. The leadership are not responsive to God – their power is threatened.
Growth to 5,000 now. Is it just men? We don’t know….if so then the number is even greater. It’s like an earthquake. Think of the recent one in Taiwan…there are aftershocks. Pentecost was the earthquake….
Look how they are described….those who believed. 2:44 – the believers.
Lessons for us – early church The grew because of public preaching, preaching in the synagogues and fellowship in homes and caring for one another. Media and public places, churches and homes.
2) The Powerful Name -In What Name? v.5-12
Court gathers – rulers (senior priests), elders presbyterous – civic leaders and tribal heads) and the teachers of the law – the scribes – the bible scholars.
Anna the high priest (served AD 6 to 14).
They didn’t have authority…who licensed you to preach? Luke 20:1-2 “20 One day as Jesus was teaching the people in the temple courts and proclaiming the good news, the chief priests and the teachers of the law, together with the elders, came up to him. 2 ‘Tell us by what authority you are doing these things,’ they said. ‘Who gave you this authority?’”
3:12 – why does this surprise you?
Note that no one doubts that the man was healed….was it the devil who did it? For those who don’t believe in miracles – Campbell Morgan “Grant the truth of the first verse of the Bible, and there is no difficulty with the miracles”
Peter replied – filled with the Holy Spirit – Luke 21: “‘But before all this, they will seize you and persecute you. They will hand you over to synagogues and put you in prison, and you will be brought before kings and governors, and all on account of my name. 13 And so you will bear testimony to me. 14 But make up your mind not to worry beforehand how you will defend yourselves. 15 For I will give you words and wisdom that none of your adversaries will be able to resist or contradict.”
Peter alludes to Psalm 118:22 “The stone the builders rejected
has become the cornerstone;
23 the Lord has done this,
and it is marvellous in our eyes.
24 The Lord has done it this very day;
let us rejoice today and be glad.
See how bold this is…..in the temple….you are the builders but you have rejected the Cornerstone…. Go to v. 31 – filled with the Spirit and boldness.
Remember this is Peter – who before a wee servant girl cowered and denied Christ – now he is before all the powers and boldly confessing him….What happened? Did he take a course in elocution? A seminar on being bold? No he was filled with the Spirit.
No other name can save…. Philip of Macedon, doctors, politicians, philosophers, religious leaders, were all saviours,
James Guthrie – Covenanter. Oliver Cromwell called him the small man who would not stoop. At his trial someone turned to him and quoted a Scots proverb – “Duck in order to miss the oncoming wave of fury”. “There is no ducking in the kingdom of Christ”. He was hanged.
3) We Can’t Help It v.13-22 – The Response.
They see the boldness and courage….to speak out. In Greek contexts this meant a free citizen speaking out. They don’t consider how it will go across or conduct an opinion poll! Notice how incredibly direct and personal it is…
Then there is contempt…..Unschooled. Uneducated. Ordinary men. They were fishermen. They were tradies. They didn’t have university degrees – or more likely theological training. People were ‘uneducated’. It was professional and academic snobbery. They were ordinary and the elite were powerful. It doesn’t mean illiterate…. Its more – you are the kind of people who are not interested in politics, or theology, or education….what would you know? The deplorables…. Notice they said the same thing about Jesus John 7: 14 Not until halfway through the festival did Jesus go up to the temple courts and begin to teach. 15 The Jews there were amazed and asked, ‘How did this man get such learning without having been taught?’
“All things in Scripture are not alike plain in themselves, nor alike clear to all’ yet those things which are necessary to be known, believed, and observed for salvation, are so clearly propounded, and opened in some place of Scripture or other, that not only the learned, but the unlearned, in a due use of the ordinary means, may attain to a sufficient understanding of them”, Westminster Confession
They ordered them to withdraw and spoke amongst themselves. So how do we know? Paul….or Joseph of Arimathea or Nicodemeus – God has his people everywhere! They want to stop them spreading the message. Note that sin so hardens our heart that when we reject Christ, it’s not just ourselves….we also seek to hinder others.
Stop speaking or teaching in the name of Jesus. The Jewish law said you first got a warning…the second time you could be beaten with rods. You are on remand. They call them in and tell them to stop doing it or else…Its an attempt to silence. Same in our society. Threatening. Intimidating. Scottish Hate Crime Bill. No other name. You can’t be saved by Mohammed.
And too many go along with this. Not just in denial…but we will just keep it to ourselves. Imagine if the apostles had said – that’s fine – we’ll just keep our proclamation of Christ to ourselves.
Peter Cartwright – Methodist preacher in Illinois. He strongly opposed slavery and had to move North….One Sunday morning he was due to preach and his deacons told him President Andrew Jackson was in the congregation. “I understand President Andrew Jackson is here. I have been requested to be guarded in my remarks. Andrew Jackson will go to Hell if he does not repent”. Cartwright said afterwards “”Sir, if I had a regiment of men like you, I could whip the world.”!
Well known mega church in the US Elevation Church Christian music artists and pastors have weighed in after a senior staffer at Steven Furtick’s Elevation Church in North Carolina revealed the megachurch doesn’t use words like “resurrection,” “Calvary” or the “blood of Jesus” in their Easter invitations for fear of alienating potential non-Christian attendees.
Imagine a Presbyterian church calling in the lawyers to see what we are allowed to say! That has come very close to happening…
We will obey God rather than men. Acts 1:8 _ That was what Socrates said at his trial
1 Samuel 15: 22 But Samuel replied:
‘Does the Lord delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices
as much as in obeying the Lord?
To obey is better than sacrifice,
and to heed is better than the fat of rams.
23 For rebellion is like the sin of divination,
and arrogance like the evil of idolatry.
Because you have rejected the word of the Lord,
he has rejected you as king.’
The trouble is that the Sanhedrin thought they were the voice of God. Again the State today….we will tell you what morality is. The limits of human authority. No – you can’t tell me what to preach. No – you can’t tell us what the Gospel is. Conversion therapy laws in NSW and Victoria…
Then there are more threats… social and legal consequences of what you do. We won’t recognise your schools, you could lose your jobs……
Notice that the believers are not seeking to impose this on everyone. That is not how Christianity is done. But they had the support of the people….again wouldn’t it be wonderful if the ordinary people were with us. That’s where we need to make our appeal. We don’t impose from the top down….we go from the bottom up….
It is the beautiful name…
Name Matters. Proverbs 22: A good name is more desirable than great riches; to be esteemed is better than silver or gold.
For the unbeliever – the people of Israel wandered the desert for 40 years because they did not believe. This man was outside the temple for 40 years. Now he could come in – because of Jesus. Is it not time for you believe in the name of Jesus?
For the believers – Psalm 9:10 – 9 The Lord is a refuge for the oppressed, a stronghold in times of trouble. 10 Those who know your name trust in you, for you, Lord, have never forsaken those who seek you.
JK Rowling.Not a Christian It was said of John Knox that “he feared God so much that he never feared the face of any man” Fear of man no. Anger against the decline in society but this…Love of Jesus – the beauty of Jesus – lifting the name of Jesus because….v.13 – they took note that these men had been with Jesus.
I look forward to the sermons posted on You Tube from The Kirk together with Live at Five etc. Would be good to see your postings go to a much wider audience.
Thanks Jeff – the only way for that to happen is for people like you to spread the word! I don’t advertise!