Acts 4 - John Karmelich

1. One of my favorite expressions about the devil goes as follows:

a) "If you don't think the devil is real, try opposing him for awhile!"

b) Chapter 4 is about facing the opposition. Be it man or the spiritual being.

c) Jesus made this "wonderful" promise to us when he was here:

i) Quoting Jesus: "Do you think I came to bring peace on earth? No, I tell you, but division. From now on there will be five in one family divided against each other, three against two and two against three. They will be divided, father against son and son against father, mother against daughter and daughter against mother, mother-in-law against daughter-in-law and daughter-in-law against mother-in-law." (Luke 12:51-53 NIV)

ii) Well now, that's encouraging. Jesus is saying that within our own families, some will "get it" and some won't.

a) There is both the "free-will" to choose (our perspective)

b) and God's pre-destiny of those who did and didn't choose
(because God knows all things!)

d) But what does this have to do with tonight's lesson? Glad you asked!

i) Peter has made 2 sermons in the last 2 chapters.

ii) Peter healed a man who has been crippled from birth and was over 40 years old when Peter performed this miracle.

iii) So far in the Book of Acts, over 3,000 people have become Christians.

e) So what did you expect the Romans, the Jewish Leaders, the world to think?

i) "Isn't that neat? You formed a new religion. Good for you!" Hardly!

ii) There is little in life more dangerous than challenging the "establishment".

iii) I remember the great economist Milton Freedman once wrote a book called:

a) "The Tyranny of the Status Quo"

b) His point is that to really change things in an economic system is almost impossible because the powers that be (government, religion, etc.) have that power by the current system. To change the system means people have to give up that power and change their way of thinking.

f) I think that is one of the points Jesus was making. His approach to religion, life, life after death was radically different, exclusive, and unlike anything on earth.

i) To use a popular cliché, Jesus was "upsetting the apple cart".

g) The growth of Christianity was and is a threat to government, to religious systems, and well, "The status quo". We'll see that as we go along in this lesson.

2. But there is one more thing that is important to understand. There are evil spiritual forces
behind these attacks.

a) One of the brilliant things that God did was put Satan on a time clock.

i) Last week I talked about that there is a "fixed" number of believers who
become Christians, and then God says in effect, "OK, that's a wrap".

a) (See last weeks lesson and/or Romans 11:25 for details.)

ii) I call this method brilliant because:

a) It keeps Satan on his toes. He knows he has a limited time on earth. But he doesn't know the exact number. Therefore, his #1 priority is to keep people from becoming Christians. This is why he attacks Christians after they become believers: Primarily to stop/slow down the growth.

b) It is also brilliant because it keeps us "on our toes". I don't know about you, but I've seen enough of this sinful world to where I want Jesus to bring on the millennial kingdom. What do you think "thy kingdom come" refers to? Therefore, this method keeps Christians active evangelizing to bring in that final person!

b) OK, so now we know that attacks on the growth of Christianity come out of both human desires and evil-spiritual desires. What is our solution? Do we out-fox them? Come up with better marketing strategies? Choke people until they accept Jesus? No!

i) If you study this chapter, you'll see the answer is prayer!

ii) The disciples started off as 11 guys. They were opposed for hundreds of years by the Roman Empire (a death sentence for Christians), their religious establishment and let's face it, demonic attacks. Their primary weapon?

a) Prayer!

b) You'll see it in this chapter, and as a pattern in the Bible.

iii) If you study Ephesians chapter 6, there is a "checklist" for going into spiritual battle against our enemies. The only offensive weapon on the list is prayer!

3. It is important to remember where we left off last time. The chapters and verse numbers are not part of the original text, and were added centuries later. In Chapter 3, Peter & John on the way to the temple, healed a 40+ year old crippled man who had been that way since birth.

4. Chapter 4, Verse 1: The priests and the captain of the temple guard and the Sadducees came up to Peter and John while they were speaking to the people. ² They were greatly disturbed because the apostles were teaching the people and proclaiming in Jesus the resurrection of the dead. ³ They seized Peter and John, and because it was evening, they put them in jail until the next day. ⁴ But many who heard the message believed, and the number of men grew to about five thousand.

a) Notice that there were 3 groups of people here.

i) 1. The apostles

ii) 2. The people they were speaking to.

iii) 3. The "captain of the temple guard" & the Sadducees.

b) Look what's happening here. Peter was preaching a very successful sermon.

i) People were coming to Jesus.

ii) In those "male-bias" times, the male believers were up to 5,000.

a) You can probably double that if you count women & children.

c) Let's talk a little about the "captain of the temple guard" & the Sadducees.

i) The "captain of the temple guard" was probably the 2^nd most powerful person in the Jewish religious system, next to the High Priest himself.

ii) He was given authority by the High Priest and the Romans to arrest anybody not complying with the rules. He had his own police at his calling.

iii) The Sadducees was a "political group" among the religious Jews.

a) Today, they would be called the "liberal" religious believers.

b) They preached the ethical parts of the Bible, but did not believe in any of the spiritual stuff. They didn't believe in the resurrection of the dead, angels, and other spiritual matters. What was important to them was that "we all try to get along and be nice to each other".

c) The opposition to the Sadducees were the Pharisees.

(1) The Pharisees were the ones who took the Old Testament seriously. Modern Orthodox Judaism is based on the teachings of the Pharisees.

d) At the time of Acts, the Sadducees were the majority in power.

d) I don't know if this is significant or not, but in the entire book of Acts, you never read of a Sadducee ever becoming a Christian. Some of the Pharisees did (Acts 15:5). It makes you wonder if it is easier to convert a person who takes the Bible literally as did the Pharisee's, over those who "spiritualize" most of the Bible, ala the Sadducee's.

e) Back to the text. Peter & John were thrown into jail overnight for this act.

i) I might be thinking "oh great. I made a cripple guy better, teach people about Jesus and this is the reward I get, thrown in jail. Gee thanks God!"

ii) If we study the patterns of Peter, this is not the case. He probably spent the evening in prayer, wondering what he was going to say next day at his hearing.

iii) The sad truth is today many Christians around the world are in jail for doing just this, preaching Jesus rises from the dead, and yes, performing miracles in his name.

iv) There are estimates that more Christians have died in the 20^th century because of religious persecution than any time in church history! It is essential to pray for the persecuted church. On the internet one can find lists of the "top 10 countries" that persecute or are the least tolerant to Christians. Pray through that list! If you think prayer can't change things, look at how Russia treats Christianity today, versus how it did just 20 years ago! At that time, it was outlawed. Bibles were banned in Russia. Today, it is encouraged.

f) Notice also what Peter preached: Jesus rising from the dead.

i) As I stated last week, many people can talk about "Jesus the great teacher", the Muslims believe Jesus was a great prophet, of Jesus, the miracle worker. But the risen Jesus is another matter! That would be acknowledging Jesus as God. No other religion in the history of mankind has ever taught this!

g) Back to Peter & John in jail. Notice verse 4 again: "But many who heard the message believed, and the number of men grew to about five thousand."

i) With Peter & John in jail, they may not have even been aware of the success they had that evening. They probably thought they were in trouble (death sentence?) for what they did. Often, God does not even make us aware of our own successes as we witness for Him.

5. Verse 5: The next day the rulers, elders and teachers of the law met in Jerusalem. ⁶ Annas the high priest was there, and so were Caiaphas, John, Alexander and the other men of the high priest's family. ⁷ They had Peter and John brought before them and began to question them: "By what power or what name did you do this?"

a) By "coincidence" the next day happened to be one of the regular meetings of the
"Sanhedrin". This was the ruling body of Jewish leaders (as permitted under the Romans). There were 70 elected members, except the high-priest, who was included with the 70. Annas was a direct descendant of Aaron and the high priest.

b) A little about Annas, and these guys Caiaphas, John, Alexander.

i) A historian named Josephus taught us a little about their background.

ii) Annas was the "recognized" High Priest by the People. But since the Romans were in charge, they changed the high priests every so often. It turns out there was a lot of corruption, and it was mostly Annas' sons, son-in-law, etc. who took turns being the High Priest. Caiaphas, John, Alexander were probably among this family unit.

c) First question they asked "By what power or what name did you do this?"

i) Actually, it's a fair question. The Jews understood that there was demonic power that is capable of miracles. The question is by who's authority did you do this? In their mind, this could only be done in the name of the "true God" or else "false Gods (i.e. demonic).

6. Peter recognized an opportunity when he saw one: Verse 8: Then Peter, filled with the Holy Spirit, said to them: "Rulers and elders of the people! ⁹ If we are being called to account today for an act of kindness shown to a cripple and are asked how he was healed, ¹⁰ then know this, you and all the people of Israel: It is by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom you crucified but whom God raised from the dead, that this man stands before you healed.

a) Put yourself in Peter's shoes for the moment. He spent the night in a dark jail cell with John. He probably spent most of the night in prayer, wondering what he was going to say today. His desire was probably to see members of the ruling body convert to Christianity. I'm sure he prayed that their eyes and hearts be opened.

i) The fact that none of them converted to Christianity (as far we know) tells of the harness of their heart, and it also tells of the sovereignty of God. God answers all of our prayers. Sometimes, the answer is "no".

b) Remember from last time, the importance of a "name" in Jewish culture. A name is associated with a person. Much in the same way we might associate a person's name with their reputation, i.e. "their good name". The best example I read about was when one sign's a check, you are saying "my name is good for that amount".

c) Like Peter's last sermon, Peter "goes for the guilt". That's important in witnessing. People need to realize they are a sinner and need a savior prior to repentance.

i) This is why Peter emphasizes the Jesus "whom you crucified".

ii) I don't believe the Jews are guilty of 1^st degree murder. They are guilty for rejection of Jesus, and that is what Peter is implying here. I talked about this in more detail over the past few lessons.

d) Peter puts a big emphasis on "God raised Him from the dead."

i) Peter was speaking to Sadducee's. These were the liberals of that day. This group did not believe in a literal resurrection. How do I know this? Acts 23:

a) "The Sadducees say that there is no resurrection, and that there are neither angels nor spirits, but the Pharisees acknowledge them all.
(Acts 23:8 NIV)

e) It is interesting to note that the presence of a visible miracle is not enough to convert people. Many people think and pray that "Oh, if only God would send this person a great miracle then they would believe! Wrong!

i) Here were these guys staring at someone who was crippled from birth and is now healed.

ii) Jesus raised people from the dead and yet people didn't believe.

a) Quoting Jesus: ""He said to him, 'If they do not listen to Moses and the Prophets, they will not be convinced even if someone rises from the dead.'" (Luke 16:31 NIV)

iii) Why is that? Why aren't miracles enough?

a) People don't want to change their ways. Believing in Jesus means changing their lifestyle and repenting of their sins. Deep down, a lot of people don't want to change, even if it becomes obvious to them that Christianity is the truth.

b) People can become so engrained in their religious systems, or their lifestyles, that it is almost impossible for them to change. This is why prayer is our greatest hope in reaching people, not visible signs.

c) The counter-point is some people are dramatically affected by miracles. Many were converted because of this crippled being healed. The point I'm making is that not all people change just because of a miracle.

7. Peter continues. In order to make his point that the Old Testament scriptures predicted that the Jewish leaders would reject the Messiah, he turns to a quote from Psalms 118:22 that Peter associates with the coming Messiah.

8. Verse 11, Peter quoting Psalms: He is the stone you builders rejected, which has become the capstone. '

a) Peter twists the Psalm quote a little to personalize it. It reads in Psalms as follows:

i) The stone the builders rejected has become the capstone; (Psalm 118:22 NIV)

ii) Peter's version: The stone you builders' rejected.

b) I'm not accusing Peter of "twisting the Scriptures", but pointing out that Peter believed the rejection of Jesus by the Jewish nation was the fulfillment of this prediction in Psalm 118, Verse 22.

c) The historian Josephus records that when the temple was built by Solomon, they temporary lost the cornerstone (a.k.a. "capstone") of the temple. The stones were not quarried at the site of the temple, but imported. When the cornerstone was brought in, they didn't know what it was, and it was tossed in a quarry until they realized it was the "main" stone. That was the immediate fulfillment of that scripture.

d) Prophecy often has a double-fulfillment. God often has short term and long-term fulfillment of the same prediction. Why?

i) The short-term fulfillment is to validate the speaker as speaking from God. The long-term fulfillment is often the main intention of the prediction.

a) "For the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy." (Rev 19:10b, NIV)

9. The next verse is the most important verse in this chapter. (That means pay attention! ☺.) Verse 12: Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to men by which we must be saved."

a) Wow. Stop and mediate on that one. Memorize it.

b) This verse preaches that the only way to heaven is through Jesus Christ. It is one of several versus in the Bible that preach Jesus is the only way.

i) A few others for your memory studies:

a) Jesus answered, "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. (John 14:6 NIV)

b) Paul said: "For we shall all stand before the judgment seat of Christ. For it is written: "As I live, says the LORD, Every knee shall bow to Me, and every tongue shall confess to God." (Romans 14-10b-11, NKJV)

c) Whether you like it or not Christianity is exclusive.

d) Jesus teaches that he is the "truth".

e) One of the things "casual Christians" or liberal theologians will argue is "We'll, I believe in Jesus, but I don't believe it's the only way to heaven.

i) What they are saying is "It wasn't necessary for Jesus to die on the cross. There are other ways to get into heaven.

ii) What they are further saying is that it is possible to get into heaven by being "sincere enough", or "good enough". Nonsense.

iii) I'm convinced it is a matte of pride/ego. People want to believe that it is possible to be saved just by being a good person. It is a way of justifying their own lifestyle. It's a belief in "relativism". That is, I'm "relatively" better than the next person, therefore, I or whoever deserve to be saved.

iv) The problem with relativism is that you never know what is "good enough" to be saved. With Christianity, you know what it takes to be saved. The belief in Jesus dying for your sins, and your commitment to following Him. You know you are saved. This is why the assurance of Christianity is called the "good news". "Relativity" and "never knowing for sure" are not necessary!

10. OK, back to the story. Here is the reaction of the Jewish council to Peter's little sermon.
Verse 13: When they saw the courage of Peter and John and realized that they were unschooled, ordinary men, they were astonished and they took note that these men had been with Jesus. ¹⁴ But since they could see the man who had been healed standing there with them, there was nothing they could say.

a) If it weren't so sad, it would be comical. Think about what they didn't say.

i) They didn't comment on Peter's speech.

ii) They didn't comment on Peter's comment about Jesus resurrection.

iii) They're hearts were "not" penetrable!

b) All they could think of was "Where did these guys learn this stuff? They didn't graduate from our seminaries! They never studied under us. How can they preach this? Oh, I know, Jesus taught it to them. That explains it.

i) As I said earlier in my message, people can become so engrained in their own beliefs, it was not possible for them to consider the message.

ii) All they wanted was a "logical" explanation for what happened without having to change their belief systems!

iii) People do that today. They look for "logical" explanations of miracles. They explain how it was just "mental psychological beliefs" that made them better. The power of faith "psychologically". Nonsense! People deny the power of God simply because they don't want to change their lives! Pure and simple!

11. Verse 15: So they ordered them to withdraw from the Sanhedrin and then conferred together. ¹⁶ "What are we going to do with these men?" they asked. "Everybody living in Jerusalem knows they have done an outstanding miracle, and we cannot deny it. ¹⁷ But to stop this thing from spreading any further among the people, we must warn these men to speak no longer to anyone in this name."

a) These guys were like Pontius Pilate, "the bureaucrat". Pilate tried to get out of the
"Jesus mess" without getting himself in trouble. If you study the Gospels, Pilate did everything in his power to try to compromise with the Jewish leaders as he figured out Jesus was being framed. Like Pilate, no one is allowed to take a neutral stand with Jesus. Either you are for him or against him.

i) This is a similar situation. They obviously saw the miracle of the healed man. The reason they brought the healed-man to the trial was probably so that he might say something contradictory to the testimony of Peter and John.

ii) These guys were the power of the Jewish religious system. The "status quo".

b) They couldn't deny the miracle without starting a riot. They couldn't accept Peter & John's testimony without losing their power and their beliefs.

i) What could they do to not lose their power and not start a riot? Simple. Tell these guys to shut up!

c) There are a lot of people like this today.

i) Here are typical comments: "Hey, its ok if you believe in Jesus, just don't go spreading it around to other people." Why make such a big deal