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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, 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 
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 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 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. 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 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 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 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 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, 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 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. 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. 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.