The book of Acts chapter 4, we'll return to our studies in John in a few weeks, but this morning we're going to focus on verses 1 to 12. Peter and John are arrested, the order of the Sanhedrin, and then Peter and John address the Sanhedrin with reference to the gospel of our salvation. So I'll read beginning in Acts 4, we'll read to verse 22. Now as they spoke to the people, the priests, the captain of the temple, and the Sadducees came upon them, being greatly disturbed that they taught the people and preached in Jesus the resurrection from the dead.
And they laid hands on them and put them in custody until the next day, for it was already evening. However, many of those who heard the word believed, and the number of the men came to be about 5,000. 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. 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. 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. 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 should 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. 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 40 years old on whom this miracle of healing had been performed. Actually, I'll read to verse 31. 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, 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. 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.
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. Amen. Well, let us pray.
Father, we thank you for the written word. We thank you for the book of Acts and the great illustration or declaration concerning the making of disciples and the planting of local churches in fulfillment of our Lord's great commission. We ask God that you would bless churches in our own generation, in our own day and age, to have that kind of commitment. And God, again, fill us now with your Holy Spirit.
Wash us from all sin and everything that darkens our mind. And we pray through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. Well,
Introduction: Backdrop in Acts 3
with reference to the arrest of Peter and John, the backdrop is Acts chapter 3. And essentially what we have in Acts chapter 3 is the healing of a lame man. So they heal the man in verses 1 to 10, and then there is a subsequent sermon in verses 11 to 26. Now on the heels of that, the Jewish leadership gets wind of this, and they're obviously upset.
Just like they opposed Jesus and his earthly ministry, they opposed the apostles of Christ in their ministry, which was designed to testify concerning our Lord Jesus Christ. Now, as we move through the book of Acts, we will see that persecution was used by God to get the church out of Jerusalem. If you look at Acts 1, verse 8, we see that the disciples were to be witnesses to Jesus in Jerusalem, and then Judea and Samaria, and then to the uttermost parts of the earth. Well, that came about as a result of persecution.
The church was persecuted, they then scattered out, and they took that gospel message to other places. Persecution is a rampant theme in the book of Acts. But we need to always be reminded of what the apostles recognized in chapter 4 at verse 28. To do whatever your hand and your purpose determined before to be done.
God is sovereign even over the persecution done to the church. But this new religion wasn't going to be focused upon one primary people group. It was going to go to the Gentiles. It was going to go to all the nations.
And in order to do that, God in his wisdom uses the persecution of the church to disperse them and to get them out there. So
The Arrest of Peter and John
I want to first look at the arrest of Peter and John in verses 1 to 4, and then secondly, the address before the council in verses 5 to 12. But
Religious Leaders' Opposition
notice the arrest according to chapter 4, verse 1. Now, as they spoke to the people, the priests, the captain of the temple, and the Sadducees came upon them, being greatly disturbed. They were greatly disturbed on the heels of the healing of a lame man. That gives you an insight into their mindset.
I mean, most people thrive, flourish, and engage in joy when they see destitute persons healed. Most people praise and thank God when they see a man who was formerly crippled now walking. now leaping and now praising God, but not the Sanhedrin, not the Jewish leadership. These were the guys that ate lemons all day long. These were the guys that looked miserable if anybody was happy.
These were the guys that had such animus against the Lord Jesus Christ that they would not for a moment Praise God for the fact that this crippled man was healed. Rather, they need to neutralize the threat. They need to silence these apostles. They need to stop the preaching of the gospel in their fair city.
So the occasion is the healing of the lame man and the subsequent sermon in Solomon's porch. Now, the religious leaders were greatly disturbed, not just a little bit. If I were to ask you today, what greatly disturbs you? You might say, mosquitoes, really?
They greatly disturb you? No, the fact that the economy is collapsing should be what greatly disturbs you. Mosquitoes are a bit of a nuisance, and we don't like them, and they may be a disturbance, but greatly disturb? What is it that greatly disturbed these men?
They would be disturbed in general because they despised Jesus. They were the architects behind the offering up of Jesus on the cross. In terms of humanity, it was them who led the rabble, the hoi polloi, the plebs, in crying out, away with him, away with him, crucify him. They were the ones that converged upon Pontius Pilate and had him put to death, the only innocent man that has ever lived in this world.
Now, as you look at verse one, notice, as they spoke to the people, the priests, the captain of the temple, and the Sadducees. At this time, the Sanhedrin, which was made up of 70 elders, 70 men within the context of Israel, and then one leader, the high priest, it was heavy with Sadducees. And the Sadducees were like the liberals, not the political, but the theological liberals of their day. They denied the supernatural.
They denied the world to come. They denied the angels. They denied those supernaturalistic elements involved in the gospel. So they really have an axe to grind against the disciples, against Peter and John, preaching in Jesus the resurrection from the dead.
Sadducees did not receive this. So there's this general despising of our Lord, but then there's the specific context where these men were claiming that Jesus had been raised from the dead. So they are very upset about this and they want to silence them. So notice in verse 2, being greatly disturbed that they taught the people and preached in Jesus the resurrection from the dead.
They laid hands on them and put them in custody until the next day, for it was already evening. Now this fulfills our Lord's words. In fact, as we move through the passage, look at verse eight, then Peter, filled with the Holy Spirit. These are both fulfillments of what Christ had taught to the disciples that would happen after he went back to heaven.
When he ascended on high, he led captivity captive, he gave gifts to men. Luke 21, 12, Jesus says, but before all these things, they will lay their hands on you and persecute you, delivering you up to the synagogues and prisons. And then he cautions them not to worry or fret in that eventuality, but he would supply the Holy Spirit, and it would be the Holy Spirit that would give you the words to speak in contradiction to what these men are saying. So this is all consistent with our Lord's promise.
In this world, John 16, 33, you will have tribulation, but be of good cheer, for I have overcome the world. The early church knew suffering, the early church knew affliction, the early church knew persecution and oppression, and the early church, by God's grace, persevered. They made it through. The Roman Empire ultimately collapsed, but the Church of Christ has marched on.
This is precisely the lesson that I hope is brought out in the course of this particular sermon. Whatever men may try, Whatever men may do, however they may oppose, however they may persecute, they cannot stop the march of our blessed Christ in the building of his kingdom. Jesus says, I will build my church and the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it. You have proof positive in this particular passage of scripture.
But then notice the contrast as we consider the rest of Peter and John still. There's a contrast in verse four. So verse three, they laid hands on them and put them in custody until the next day for it was already evening. We might hear that and say, oh, that's pathetic, that's horrible, that's sad.
But
The Word Prevails Despite Arrest
look at what Luke cautions us or Luke tells us in verse four. However, many of those who heard the word believed and the number of the men came to be about 5,000. The preachers are arrested, but the word of God prevails. The preachers are attempted to be put to silence, but the Word of God cannot be silenced.
Gil says, for though they kept their persons in hold, they could not stop the free course of the Word, which ran and was glorified. Or Matthew Henry, though the preachers were persecuted, the Word prevailed. For sometimes the church's suffering days have been her growing days. Her suffering days have been her growing days.
We need that lens. We need that orientation. We need that mindset as we press on in this lower world. Whatever the devil and his minions do to the church of the Lord Jesus, our Savior is greater.
Our Savior is omnipotent. Our Savior has promised to build his church. So Henry goes on to say, the days of her infancy were so.
Pattern in Acts 12: Word Triumphs
Turn to Acts chapter 12 for just a moment to see an illustration of the same thing. Acts chapter 12 begins with Herod putting James to death, seizing Peter, and putting him in prison. The chapter ends with the death of Herod and the triumph of the word of God. So Herod does this in order to appease the Jewish mobs.
Notice in chapter 12, verse 1. Now about that time, Herod the king stretched out his hand to harass some from the church. Then he killed James, the brother of John, with the sword. And because he saw that it pleased the Jews, he proceeded further to seize Peter also.
Now it was during the Days of Unleavened Bread. So when he had arrested him, he put him in prison, delivered him to four squads of soldiers to keep him, intending to bring him before the people after Passover. Now, we know the story. God hears the prayers of His church.
As they assemble together, they cry out on behalf of Peter. And God, in His grace and His mercy, busts Peter out of the prison. And as I said, at the end of the chapter, Herod dies. But notice in verse 24.
Well, let's just get the Herod bit. Verse 20, now Herod had been very angry with the people of Tyre and Sidon, but they came to him with one accord, and having made Blastus the king's personal aide their friend, they asked for peace, because their country was supplied with food by the king's country. So on a set day, Herod, arrayed in royal apparel, sat on his throne and gave an oration to them. And the people kept shouting, the voice of a God and not of a man.
Then immediately an angel of the Lord struck him because he did not give glory to God. And he was eaten by worms and died. Now, God doesn't do that all the time, as we are witness to, but there are instances and seasons and occasions where a Herod is smitten right before the eyes of people that just previously were saying, the voice of a God and not a man. He sucked that in.
He drank it in. It went to his head. He was exalting himself and so God killed him. But then notice in verse 24, but the word of God grew and multiplied.
John Stott makes this observation on Acts 12. He says, the chapter opens with James dead, Peter in prison, and Herod triumphing. It closes with Herod dead, Peter free, and the Word of God triumphing. Such is the power of God to overthrow hostile human plans and to establish His own in their place.
Tyrants may be permitted for a time to boast and bluster, oppressing the church and hindering the spread of the gospel. but they will not last. In the end, their empire will be broken and their pride abased. Going back to Acts 4, you see that same contrast. You see the Sanhedrin ordering the arrest of Peter and John, and then you see the word of God prevailing.
And now
The Address Before the Council
that brings us secondly to the address before the council in verses 5 to 12. So not only did that word of God prevail and the number of the men came to be about 5,000, But now Peter and John are brought into a unique place. They're brought into this chamber. They're brought into this place where the council meets, and they are given the opportunity to give a defense.
They're given an opportunity to answer for their conduct. So
The Council's Question
notice in the first place the question of the council in verses 5 to 7. That's quite the attendance, isn't it? I mean, a lesser man than Peter would say, well, you know, I don't want to really rise up in the midst of these great men. I don't really want to stand up and rebut them or refute them.
I'm just going to go along and just do whatever it is they say. No, Peter doesn't care. Peter is no respecter of men. Peter doesn't say, oh, yeah, well, it's the elite, so I'm the plea, and I'm just going to shut my mouth and do precisely what they say.
These men, to their credit, something we're not seeing anymore, or at least as much as we should, at least they give the ability for cross-examination. At least they ask the question, in what name are you doing this? But that's the focus of verse seven. They set him before, and when they had set them in the midst, they asked, by what power or by what name have you done this?
By what name have you done this? So this is the question posed. Now
Peter's Spirit-Filled Response
notice the response of Peter in verses 8 to 12. The Spirit, first of all, comes upon him. Again, an answer to prayer, an answer to what we see prophesied by Christ, that they will arrest you, they will bring you up before the council, they will scourge you, they will put you to death. But do not fear them, because I will give you the Spirit, and the Spirit will give you the words to be able to testify to these men.
Brethren, when the church shrinks back from declaring the whole counsel of God, it is to disregard the ministry and the aid and the power of the third person of the Trinity. We have been promised this. It's not just, well, I hope it kind of works out that way, the master says to the servant. No, he says, when you're in that precarious position, I will fill you with the Spirit and he will give you the words to testify.
I think at times we say, boy, I wonder what I would do in such and such a situation. I'm a bit of a coward. I have trouble bowing my head and praying at Tim Hortons. I'm afraid of what people may say.
I'm afraid of what people may think. Well, brethren, at those times, crunch hour times, difficult times, God the Lord provides what is necessary to his suffering servants. God the Lord, in the history of the martyrs, has shown us that very thing. When Thomas Hawks is able to say, from the fire, Christ is Lord of the fire, we know the Spirit is upon him.
We ought not to disregard the aid and the ministry of the Holy Spirit by being cowards. by being Nancy boys, by being those who retreat, by being those who hide, by being those who say, well, I don't wanna rise up in the face of these elites. We need to learn the lesson of John the Baptist who had no problem putting his finger in the face of his Herod and saying, it is not lawful for you to have your brother's wife. Brethren, until such times that the Church of Christ understands and believes in the power of God, the Holy Spirit, we're going to continue to limp along, limp wristedly, never testifying and never boldly declaring the truth as it is in Jesus. In fact, look at the apostolic prayer in verses 27 to 31 or 30 after they pray and notice what they pray in verse 29.
Now, Lord, look on their threats and grant to your servants that with all boldness they may speak your word. Notice, look on their threats. Stop them. We want to be unmolested.
We want to just have a nice life in the empire. That's not necessarily wrong to pray, but that's not what they pray. They say in the midst of their threats, in the midst of their molestation, in the midst of their oppression, in the midst of their persecution, God, please give us boldness that we may speak your name. Now, it shouldn't surprise us in verse 31.
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. Do you mean there's a correlation between what we ask in prayer and what God gives us in prayer? Yeah, I mean there's a correlation. If you pray for boldness in the midst of persecution, God in His grace will provide boldness in the midst of persecution.
Why? Because we are testifying for his glory. We are magnifying the name of his son. We are seeking to exalt that blessed one.
And we are seeking to do genuine good to sinners. Now I'm not suggesting that in every instance, it's a formulaic prayer, God give me boldness, and then you're gonna become John Knox or the Apostle Paul. Remember that picture of John Knox, Banner of Truth uses it often, where he's hanging over his pulpit and he's pointing, I think it was at the Queen of Scotland, at that time. He may not do it in that manner, but he does give his saints what they stand in need of.
He is our Heavenly Father. Remember Jesus' caution concerning wrong views of God? He says, if you men, being evil, give good gifts to your children, how much more will the Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask? If your son asks you for bread, you don't give him a stone.
If your son asks for an egg, you don't give him a scorpion. If your son asks for something, you're good, and you're evil, but even in your evil, rather, you do some good things. You get a little wood on the ball, even as evil men. But how much more will our heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask?
So Peter is filled with the Holy Spirit, he's equipped to meet this particular question, and he highlights, in fact, that this is about Jesus. So verse 7, by what power or by what name have you done this? Verse 8, then Peter, filled with the Holy Spirit, said to them, rulers of the people and elders of Israel, Now, Peter was not brought up as an elite. Peter was not brought up in the schools.
In fact, if you look at verse, where is it? At verse 13. Now, when they saw the boldness of Peter and John and perceived that they were uneducated and untrained men, they marvel. And they realized that they had been with Jesus.
That's the key. It wasn't the training. It wasn't the education. It was their presence with Christ that made all the difference.
So Peter was a fisherman. Peter wasn't in the habit of being in the presence of the great men of his age and responding to questions like this. The Holy Spirit fitted him, the Holy Spirit equipped him, and the Holy Spirit used him. Now notice in verse 9.
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. So in this, he declares the name. You ask about the name, I'm gonna tell you the name. Go back to chapter two and see the emphasis on the name.
Acts chapter two, verse 21, a quotation from the prophet Joel. And it shall come to pass that whoever calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved. Verse 22, men of Israel, hear these words. I'm gonna teach you about that Lord. the name of the Lord is this Jesus Christ, the one in whom there is salvation.
Look at chapter 3, the sermon subsequent to the healing of the crippled man. Verse 16, and his name, through faith in his name, it's not magic, it's not hocus pocus, it's not invoking the five letters that make up the name Jesus and somehow that conveys or confers some magical sort of thing. No, the name represents the owner of the name. The name represents this one, who came down from heaven for us men and for our salvation.
So 316, his name, through faith in his name, has made this man strong, whom you see and know. Yes, the faith which comes through him has given him this perfect soundness in the presence of you all. Peter doesn't take credit for the healing of the crippled man. He doesn't say, yeah, I went to Benny Hinn School of Healing People.
I got my degree and now I'm ready to just throw the whammy down. That's not what he does. He gives glory to Jesus. He gives glory to God.
He extols the Blessed One who has the power to do this act of healing sinners, healing cripples, healing people with reference to their maladies. So
Declaring the Name of Jesus
in verses 8 to 10, he declares the name. He proclaims specifically Jesus. Verse 10, let it be known to you all and to all the people of Israel that by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, notice, whom you crucify, he will not let them forget their sins. Why is that?
Is Peter mean? Is he vindictive? No, he understands the reality that Christ came into this world, not to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance. They need to understand their sin.
He does the same thing in Acts 2. Therefore, let it be known to you, all the house of Israel, that God made this Jesus, whom you crucified, both Lord and Christ. Again, it's not out of vindictive spirit. It's so that they see their sin and misery, and they'll see their need for the Lord Christ.
So he does the same thing with the Jewish Sanhedrin here because Peter wants them to come to Christ. He wants them to believe the gospel. It's not just, I don't want to be back in jail. I want you to understand the truth as it is in Jesus.
I want you to understand that Christ is Messiah. I want you to understand that this Jesus of Nazareth is the second person of the Trinity. The word became flesh and dwelt among us. That is the emphasis of the apostle.
Notice, whom you crucified, whom God raised from the dead, he says, by him this man stands here before you whole. He emphasizes the gospel. He emphasizes the contrast between them and God. disrepute for the Lord Jesus, or rather their disdain for Jesus is contrasted with what God does. God raised him up.
You see that throughout the book of Acts when the apostles preach in Jewish contexts. They want them to understand. that God's approval, God's approbation, God's love, God's joy over the son of God is not like what they have. They hold him in contempt. They said away with him, away with him, crucify him.
They're continuing to plague the church of Christ and they're continuing to plague these ministers of Christ. So this contrast is set up to highlight God's goodness and approval of his son and as well to highlight their evil and their sinfulness such that they'll see their need. for God's Son and for the salvation that comes through faith in Him. Notice, then,
The Prophetic Witness: The Cornerstone
he gives the prophetic witness to that name. He not only makes the declaration of the name in verses 10 to 12, he now highlights the prophetic witness or significance of that name in verse 11. He says, this is the stone which was rejected by you builders, which has become the chief cornerstone. What's he saying?
That in the Old Testament, yes, there may have been some relevant application specifically to King David and the heathen nations around him. Of course, they didn't love David. Of course, they didn't extol David. Of course, they didn't prize David.
So there's certainly some application in the life and ministry of David, but it points to David's greater son. How many times in the New Testament has this passage appealed to? Christ does it in the parable of the vineyard in Matthew 21. The Apostle Peter will do it in his first epistle.
And the Apostle Peter does it here. In other words, he's giving the theological rationale for their opposition to the Lord Jesus Christ. So notice Peter's not some hapless loser going, man, I don't know what's happening here. I can't understand why bad things are happening to such a good guy.
No, he understands the prophetic word. He understands that when Messiah comes, he'll come to his own and his own will receive him not. This is proof positive, just like the ministry of Christ in the gospel records shows the same thing. That's why Jesus invokes Psalm 118.
That's why Jesus says to the religious leaders of his day, this is the stone which was rejected by you builders which has become the chief cornerstone. So the apostle quotes Psalm 118. As I said, the Psalm highlights the rejection of David probably in its secondary application, but it points to the Lord Jesus. Jesus is the anti-typical stone.
The builders aren't the religious teachers. They're the ones that have rule, as it were, over Israel at this particular time. So this stone, Christ, comes to them and they fall over him. This stone Christ comes to them and they don't want Him.
They despise Him. And yet the psalmist says, and Peter repeats, that this is the chief cornerstone. This is the one that is foundational of redemptive religion in this world. If you do not come to Him, if you do not believe in Him, this stone will ultimately crush you.
And that is precisely the definition, or rather the reference that Jesus gives to the religious leaders of His day. And that is true whether you're a religious leader in the Sanhedrin in the first century or whether you're a sinner in Chilliwack today. If you do not believe on this stone, if you do not look on to the Lord Jesus Christ in faith, if you do not receive him as he's offered in the gospel to needy sinners, that stone will one day smash you. It will obliterate you.
Think Herod in Acts chapter 12, the voice of a God and not of a man. He drank it in. He loved it. He welcomed it.
What happens? He's eaten by worms right before a great multitude of people that had been singing his praises. You need, by grace, to make peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. Do not tarry, do not wait, do not simply argue that, well, you know, in a few more years, then I'll give my heart to Jesus.
If you don't come to that stone, if you don't believe on that Savior, if you die in your sins, that stone will crush you, it will smash you, it will decimate you. That's what Peter is saying to these men. This is the stone which was rejected by you builders, which has become the chief cornerstone. The quote here functions as a theological interpretation of the leadership's opposition to Christ.
And brethren, these guys knew Psalm 118. These guys knew Psalm 118. Remember, these were the guys that had phylacteries. They'd put little boxes on their arms or on their foreheads and they'd stuff scripture in there.
Why? Because they interpreted the books of the Pentateuch in that manner. They had scripture close to them. They had it close to their head.
They had it close to their heart. These were men that understood. Men could recite whole chapters, whole sections, whole books of Torah and of the prophets and of the writings. These were not chumps when it came to understanding the Bible.
So when Peter invokes this again, it is the theological interpretation for what is happening here. In fact, go back just a little bit in the context. Look at how Peter frames it in verse nine. If we this day are judged for a good deed done to a helpless man, by what means he has been made well.
That's exactly what I was saying earlier. Who in the world, what kind of a monster, what kind of a demon with a man's head actually opposes the healing of a lame man, actually opposes the putting right of a man who couldn't walk? If we're judged for a good deed done to a helpless man, I'm going to tell you who the powers is, whose is the power. And I'm also going to tell you that your opposition, your rejection, is consistent with, guess what, your scriptures.
Your Bible told you there was gonna be a class of men that would oppose God's Messiah. Your Bible told you there was gonna be a class of men that would fall against this stone, that would ultimately be smashed and crushed by this stone. Your Bible called you to understand this. It is a very terrifying sort of a scenario.
I think it's terrifying in our own generation when persons are raised in the church. Persons are catechized from their youth. Persons are schlepped to church once, twice, three times on a Sunday. They hear lots of Bible.
They hear lots of scripture. They have lots of pleading on behalf of pastors and parents telling them, come to the Lord Jesus Christ. To oppose that, to resist that, to reject that, to despise that, is a horrific place to be. So I make an appeal to the young people, to the children, well to all of us, If you know these things, believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and you shall be saved.
It is a most glorious and wonderful gospel. Anyone and everyone here that is heaven bound is not heaven bound because they're good. We're heaven bound because Jesus is good. We're heaven-bound because of what Christ does in his life, death, and resurrection.
What's the significance of his life? He obeys the law perfectly. Why does he do that? Because we don't.
We can't. We won't. We will never. And so we need a righteousness that avails with God.
So it's not just an example. Oh, look at the 33 years of Jesus, how wonderful he was. We should look at the 33 years of Jesus and say how wonderful it was. But there is a purpose behind that obedience.
And that purpose is found in Hebrews chapter 10. That purpose is found in 2 Corinthians 5.21. God made him, Christ, who knew no sin, to be sin for us that we might become the righteousness of God in him. See, the God of heaven and earth deals with men on the basis of one or two men, either Adam or Christ.
And Paul tells us in Romans 5 that in Adam all die, but in Christ all shall be made alive. And so that life of Jesus, in terms of perfect obedience to the law, is the righteousness that God imputes to the sinner. When He justifies us freely by grace, when we believe that gospel, we receive the robes of Christ's righteousness, such that one day we'll be able to enter in to His heavenly kingdom. J.
Gresham Machen on his deathbed, last parting words were, I am so thankful for the active obedience of Christ, there's no hope without it. But what we need is death, you see. We've got a sin problem. And it's not just a little problem.
This isn't sort of a mosquito flying around our heads. We've got huge problems. We've got huge issues. We've got a monumental situation between us and God.
And it's sin. All we like sheep have gone astray. Every single one of us is a sinner in rebellion against God. We need to be forgiven.
How does that forgiveness come? By my promise of doing better? No, because God is gracious. If you, Lord, should mark iniquities, O Lord, who can stand?
But there is forgiveness with you that you may be feared." The blessing of the gospel. Life answers to our need for righteousness. Death answers to our need for forgiveness. And that resurrection seals the deal.
Paul summarizes in Romans 4.25, he says that Jesus was delivered up because of our offenses and he was raised for our justification. Justification is an act of God's free grace wherein he freely pardons all our sins and accepts us as righteous in his sight only for the righteousness of Christ imputed to us and received by faith alone. So don't tarry, don't wait, don't say, well, you know, this sounds good, I'll file it away, I'll put a note in my phone calendar, and in 2040, I'll make peace with God through Jesus Christ. No, this stone, you'll either stumble on and be rejected by and ultimately smashed, or you will see him as altogether lovely and chief among 10,000 and believe on him for salvation.
And then
Exclusivity of Salvation in Christ
Peter ends by highlighting, underscoring the exclusivity of that name. He demonstrates or declares it in verses 8 to 10. He then gives the prophetic witness in verse 11, and then he underscores the exclusivity of the name. Notice in verse 12, nor is there salvation in any other.
See, brethren, that's what it's all about for Peter. Yes, we healed a crippled man, or Jesus did through us. The power of the name of Jesus is such that crippled men can be made healthy, that they can take up their beds and walk, that they can go leaping and walking and praising God. I mean, you know the account.
Peter and John went to pray. They met a blind man on the way. or a lame man on the way, he held out his palms, asked for alms, and this is what Peter did say. I don't have any silver or gold. This is typical of gospel preachers.
I don't have silver or gold. You don't come to church to get money. But what I have, I give you. In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, rise up and walk.
Now, Peter tells us that the primary emphasis in the Savior, there is the healing, there is the lame man being able to walk and joyfully praise God, but it's all about salvation. See, they're operating at two different levels. The Sanhedrin says, by what name or power or authority did you bring healing to this particular man? So Peter tells them, it's the name of Jesus.
But you need to understand, it's not just the name of Jesus that deals with the outer man. It's not just the name of Jesus that heals cripples. It's not just the name Jesus that heals lame men. Because we know, brethren, there are Christians that are lame.
There are Christians that are crippled. There are Christians that contract nefarious disease. It's no promise of God that every single Christian will always be healthy, wealthy, and wise. That's Benjamin Franklin.
That's not Jesus Christ. That's Benny Hinn. That's not Jesus Christ. But when it comes to the hub or the center or the focus of the gospel, it's about salvation.
It's about the bigger problem than being crippled. It's about the bigger problem than being lame. It's about the bigger problem than being poor. It's about the bigger problem than even living under an oppressive regime.
The biggest problem of all is our estrangement from God Most High. And so Peter underscores the exclusivity of the name. He says, nor is there salvation in any other. The subject matter concerns salvation.
Alexander says he gives them solemnly to understand that the mistake which they, as builders of the temple, had committed was not merely theoretical or exegetical, but practical, and if preserved in, fatal to themselves and others. You continue down this path of opposition to the stone, this stone will crush you. What is most necessary is that you come to this one, that you believe in this one, and that you understand. Nor is there salvation in any other.
Now notice what he goes on to say. For there is no other name under heaven. No other name under heaven. The fact that salvation is in Christ alone, but the fact that this obtains everywhere under heaven.
How are Africans saved? Faith in Jesus. How are Indians saved? Faith in Jesus.
How are Canadians saved? Faith in Jesus. How are Americans saved? Faith in Jesus.
There's only one way, and that's the emphasis in verse 12. And so Peter is saying that if you reject this, if you resist this, this stone will crush you. It will decimate you. It will destroy you.
Notice the fact that this is given, nor is there salvation in any other, for there is no other name under heaven given among men. Wasn't earned, wasn't worked for, wasn't us that said, oh God, we're in a dire straits, can you please answer our need? No, it was given by God. You look at the history of the Bible, redemptive history in the Bible, you see that God's a seeking God.
Everybody's running from Him. He's the one coming after us. When Adam and Eve sin, what do they do? They sow fig leaves to cover up their private parts and then they hide among the trees.
It never occurred to them that the God who spoke the trees into being might possibly be able to locate them among those trees. The point is, is that they ran from him and God sought them out. The builders at Babel, they want to make a name for themselves. They want to make a tower that rises up into heaven.
Perhaps they want to avoid any potential future flood. But they are the arrogant expression of man's desire to be as a god. And yet God confounds them by confounding their lip. He disperses them.
But what comes on the heels of that in Genesis chapter 12? The call of Abram out of Ur of the Chaldeans. And he says that in you all the nations of the earth will be blessed. God seeks those whom he will save.
We saw that last Sunday when we looked at the conversion of Matthew. Jesus comes to the tax office and he says to Matthew, follow me. At the foot of the tree in Luke 19, he says to Zacchaeus and all those there, the son of man has come to seek and to save that which was lost. Brethren, we're so sinful, we'll not seek out God.
If sinners are to be saved, it's God who's going to seek us out. Think about John 3, 16. God so loved the world, what? That he gave his only begotten son.
Consider Isaiah 9. A son is given to us. Not because we earned it, not because we deserved it, but because our God is most gracious, and our God supplies what desperately wicked sinners need. And then notice the fact that if men are to be saved, it must be by grace alone, through faith alone in Christ Jesus alone.
Nor is there salvation in any other, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved. One way of approach to a holy God. And that is through the son of his love who came into this world, sinners to save.
Application: Persecution and the Gospel
In conclusion, in terms of the persecution that we see in this particular chapter, as I said, it's replete in the book of Acts. You see it in Acts 4, obviously, you'll see it in Acts 5, you see it in Acts 6, chapter 7 and 8, chapter 9, chapter 12, chapter 13. You see it all throughout. How does the book of Acts end?
It ends with the chief apostle to the Gentiles in a Roman jail. And so there is this endless persecution that is waged against the church of Jesus Christ. So whatever may be in our eventuality, brethren, we're in good company. We have the church before us, who by the grace of God stood.
And we know that because we're here. If they would have caved, if they would have capitulated, if they would have said, no, we're going to do whatever it is you command us, sovereign state, then we wouldn't be present. We ought to bless God for the courageous men and women that have stood fast in our altogether littered history with reference to persecution and oppression. So you see this pattern in the book of Acts.
You see that the proclamation of the truth of God's word arouses the devil's involvement. When Jesus says, I will build my church in the gates of hell, shall not prevail against it, Jesus knows well that when you go into a city, or you go into a town, or you go into a house, or you go into anywhere, and you say, you're a sinner, God is holy, and you must come to the Lord Jesus Christ. The devil is aroused by that. Luke chapter 8, the parable of the soils.
Jesus likens the devil to those birds of the air who come down and who eat the seed in the field. I've shared with the brethren here. When we first moved to Chilliwack, we lived on Armstrong Road, and we lived right across the street from a farm. And I'd see the fellow out there, not, you know, throwing seed like that.
They have a more technical way of doing that now. But you'd see the birds descend. You see the birds come to pick up those seeds. Why?
Because birds are hungry and they've just laid out the buffet. You need to make this observation in terms of the comparison. Birds are only seeking to eat because they're hungry. The devil, as Jesus says, he does not want you to hear lest you believe and be saved.
So wherever the true gospel is going to be proclaimed, there is going to be opposition by the devil. Now, does the devil come through our church door carrying a pitchfork, robed in red, and, you know, I'm here, I'm the devil, I'm gonna get you. No, he uses his minions. He uses those earthly powers.
He uses those things that are contrary to God and his word. We need to understand the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but they're mighty for the pulling down of strongholds. We emphasize the proclamation of the truth. We emphasize prayer.
The advancement of Christ's kingdom continues even in the midst of persecution. I love verse 4, the contrast between 3 and 4. They laid hands on them and put them in custody until the next day, for it was already evening. However, many of those who heard the word believed, and the number of the men came to be about 5,000.
Turn to 2 Timothy chapter 2. 2 Timothy chapter 2, specifically in verse 8. The apostle says, remember that Jesus Christ, of the seed of David, was raised from the dead according to my gospel, for which I suffered trouble as an evildoer, even to the point of chains, but the word of God is not chained. See, we may experience losses along the way. We will.
We may experience a Paul having his head chopped off by a Caesar. We may have a Peter thrown into the jail. We may have a James put to death. We may have a whole host of martyrs and a whole host of challenges and what appears to be a whole host of losses.
But this one thing they can't stop. They can't stop the triumph of the gospel. That's what you need to appreciate. Brethren, we are on the winning side, even when it doesn't appear to be the case.
We walk by faith and not by sight. And though the tyrant seemed to be winning, Herod did, right up until the time he was covered by and eaten by worms before the adulations of the crowd. As well, the power of God is demonstrated in His provision for His people during that time. Verse 8 of chapter 4, then Peter, filled with the Holy Spirit, said to them, God's promise is sure.
I will never leave you nor forsake you. You have need of the Spirit in a time of trial and testing. God is there. It's a blessed and a wonderful provision.
Again, it's hard on this side when we're in peacetime to think, how will I function when I got a gun to my head? I know me. I'm a coward. I'm a baby.
I may just capitulate. Well, again, we have to trust in the presence and the power of the Holy Spirit. If we have a gun to our heads, God has resources to avail for us. That doesn't mean we're not going to get shot in the head, but it does mean when we get shot in the head, we get to depart and be with Christ, which is far better.
It is a most blessed arrangement. Paul says it in Philippians 1 this way, for to me to live is Christ and to die is gain. How do you hurt a man like that? What do you do to Paul?
We're gonna let you live. Good, I get Christ. We're gonna put you to death. I get more Christ.
Not a lot of ways to punish that guy, is there? Now I know there are a lot of ways to punish people. And I know there's a lot of horrific things that sinners do to other people. But the point is, is that Paul knew that whether in life or in death, he would have Christ.
Heidelberg Catechism number one. What is your only hope in life? And in death, it's the Lord Christ. It is his offices as prophet, priest, and king.
It is his defense. It is his protection. It is his altogether loveliness. The Lord God provides for his people in the midst of it.
And then the last thing I want to highlight in terms of persecution is that the persecution of the church is perpetual. It's perpetual. It doesn't stop. I know we wished it would.
I know we wish that, man, just leave the church alone. I mean, why would you mess with the church? If the church is doing what the church is doing or supposed to be doing, she's really a benefit to a body politic versus a threat. I mean, typically people in churches pay their taxes, they cut their grass, they paint their houses, they show up at work on time.
They're not out there, you know, robbing banks. They're not out there engaged in, you know, peaceful protests and burning down cities. They're for the most part, you know, pretty decent humans. Like, what's the animus?
What's the reason? What's the rationale? They hate Yahweh and his Christ. Psalm 2, brethren, that's how these men understood it.
Look at their prayer at the end of the chapter. Verse 24, 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 has 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. I mean, it's probably us personally, at least at some level, but it's our Christ.
It's our God. It's our code of ethics. It's our law. It's our gospel.
They oppose us because they hate God. As Edwards famously said, there are martyrs because men can't get to the throne of God and dash him from it. If men could, they would. And Psalm 2 underscores that.
Why do the people's rage, why do the nation's rage and the people's plot of anything? David's almost, the question of it is legit. Why are they doing this? What's the problem?
I mean, there was a senator in the United States of America that just recently said, we need to get rid of crisis pregnancy centers. Really? A center that's designed to help women in need? We have to get rid of that?
The only possible solution to an unwanted pregnancy is to murder the baby? That's it? That's all there is? We have to shut down a facility that will give tests, and give encouragement, and give counsel, and perhaps help in terms of adoption, or give stuff, and diapers, and care?
We've got to shut those down. It is monstrous. It is horrific. It is vile.
And yet, brethren, it demonstrates the point. It's God they oppose. It's Christ they oppose. When I was a kid, we were taught that communism was bad because it was anti-Christian.
That's the hub. That's the focus. That's the relation. Why do the nations rage?
Why do they plot against Yahweh and against His Christ? Why would you do that? It's all about goodness and righteousness. The kingdom of God is about peace.
They hate it. They despise it. They're of their father the devil. They love murder.
They love lies. They love trafficking in those things, which are contrary to God and His Christ. So brethren, do not be surprised, do not be alarmed, do not be shaken. This is the way it's always been in the church of the Lord Jesus Christ.
We have our internal problems to be sure, but there's always external threats as well. And then the final thing that I want to underscore is the power of the gospel. The power of the gospel in verse 12, nor is there salvation in any other. What does Peter assume?
What does Peter presuppose? Sin. Depravity, wickedness, lawlessness, rebellion, evil. You need salvation.
If you're not a Christian today, that's what you need. Not more money, not more help from the state, not more encouragement. You need salvation. You need the blood of Jesus Christ to wash you from your sins.
You need that righteousness of Christ imputed to you so that you can enter in and hear those blessed words, well done, good and faithful servant. Peter assumes the problem of sin and then he gives the provision of God, this name of Christ given under heaven by which we must be saved. The emphasis is always in the scripture, believe on him and you will be saved. Well, let us pray.
Closing Prayer
Our Father in heaven, we thank you for your word. We thank you for the clarity of this account in Acts 4 and the way that Peter responds to these captors. God, I pray that we would go thou and do likewise, that we would emphasize the gospel of our salvation, that we would respond with the truth as it is in Jesus. We thank you for your grace and for your mercy.
We thank you for the forgiveness of sins and for that righteousness that you have given us in and through our blessed Savior. And it's in his name that we pray, amen. Well, let us stand and sing number 564 in praise to our great God. ♪ The God of Yisra'el ♪ ♪ Who only to Equandre's words ♪ ♪ In glory had excelled ♪ ♪ Who only to Equandre's words ♪ ♪ In glory had excelled ♪ to all eternity. The whole earth and its glory to God in so very being.
The whole earth and its glory to God in so very being. Oh The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ and the love of God and the communion of the Holy Spirit be with you all, amen. Thank you, our blessed and triune God. We pray that you would go with us now.
We pray that we would know your nearness in our lives and that we would seek by grace to honor and glorify you. Thank you again for this church. Thank you for this day. Thank you for the beauty of our salvation.
And we pray in Jesus' name, amen. Well, please be seated for a brief time of meditation.